Thermal treatment of surgical fluids

ABSTRACT

A surgical fluid thermal treatment system can be used during a procedure to heat or cool surgical fluid, e.g., prior to introducing the fluid into the body of a patient. In some examples, the system includes an open basin into which fresh surgical fluid is dispensed and a heater that heats the fluid in the basin. The system may also include a volume measurement device that measures the volume of fluid in the basin. The system may have a user interface that a user interacts with to check fresh fluid into the basin. The user may also interact with the user interface to check medical tools into the basin and check medical tools out of the basin. A controller associated with the system can track the volume of fluid removed from the basin during the course of a procedure.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/313,249, filed Mar. 25, 2016, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to systems for managing surgical fluid and, morespecifically, systems for adjusting the temperature of surgical fluid inmedical procedure rooms.

BACKGROUND

Surgical fluid is used during a variety of different medical procedures.For example, saline is often used during surgery to irrigate the site ofoperation. The saline can be poured on the site of surgery to flush theregion of blood and other bodily matter, providing the clinician with aclear view of the region being operated upon and clean surfaces forperforming the operation. As another example, surgical fluid may befrozen into a slush that is introduced into a particular region of thebody. The slush can provide localized hypothermia therapy, cooling theregion of the body or organ around which the slush is placed. This canbe useful to temporarily reduce the amount of oxygenated blood needed bythe body, such as in emergencies like cardiac arrest or severe headtrauma.

Controlling the temperature of surgical fluid prior to introduction intothe body can be useful to help ensure a safe and efficacious medicalprocedure. For example, in the case of surgical slush, the surgicalfluid may be cooled to a temperature sufficient to provide a slush butnot so low that the surgical slush reaches organ-damaging temperatures.As another example, in the case of liquid irrigation, the surgical fluidmay be heated above room temperature before being introduced into thepatient's body.

Anesthetized patients cannot regulate their body temperature. This isbecause the portion of the brain that regulates body temperature shutsdown with anesthesia. If surgical irrigation fluid is not heated beforebeing introduced into the patient, the surgical fluid can cool thepatient's core body temperature. For procedures that take a longeramount of time or involve larger amounts of irrigation fluid, thecumulative cooling effect can increase the risk of unintendedhypothermia. For this reason, the surgical fluid may be heated to atemperature around the patient's standard body temperature (98.6 degreesFahrenheit) before introducing the fluid into the patient. This can helpminimize the risks of unintended hypothermia.

Independent of whether surgical fluid is heated or cooled before beingintroduced into a patient, a nurse or other clinician in charge ofsurgical fluid during the procedure may monitor the amount of fluidintroduced into the patient. Typically, surgical fluid comes prepackagedin bottles of standard size, and the clinician may monitor the number ofbottles used during a procedure to determine the amount of fluidintroduced into the patient. The clinician may monitor the amount offluid used to ensure that too much fluid is not introduced into thepatient and/or that a proportional amount of fluid is withdrawn from thepatient using a suction device.

SUMMARY

In general, this disclosure is directed to devices, systems, andtechniques for monitoring and/or determining the amount of a material ina surgical environment and, optionally, adjusting the temperature ofsuch material. In some configurations, the device is designed to receivea surgical fluid to be used during a medical procedure, heat the fluidto a temperature suitable to be introduced into a mammalian patient, andactively track the volume of fluid removed from the device during theprocedure. The device may track the volume of fluid introduced and/orremoved from the device using any suitable volume measurement device.For example, the volume measurement device may be implemented bymeasuring the weight of the fluid and then determining volume based on aprogrammed density of the fluid, by measuring the height of the fluid inthe basin, by measuring the volume of fluid dispensed through a fillinginlet and/or a dispensing outlet, or by yet other volume measurementarrangements. When configured to measure weight, the device may providea convenient weighing apparatus for weighing objects in the surgicalenvironment, such as specimens extracted from a patient. For theseweighing applications, the device may or may not include temperatureadjustment functionality.

In some examples, a system is configured as a surgical fluid warmer thatincludes a basin that receives and holds surgical fluid. The basin issupported on a base, such as a movable base mounted on caster wheels toallow the system to easily move from one location to another. The systemincludes a heater thermally coupled to the basin and configured to heatsurgical liquid placed in the basin to a target temperature. Inaddition, the system includes a volume measurement device. The volumemeasurement device is positioned to obtain volume information concerningthe volume of surgical fluid added to the basin. For example, indifferent applications, the volume measurement device may be implementedusing a load cell that indirectly measures volume by measuring weight ofthe basin and contents therein, a float that rises and falls based onthe level of surgical fluid in the basin, or other sensor that measuresthe volume of surgical fluid in the basin. In either configuration, thesystem can also include a display that displays the volume of surgicalfluid used during a procedure. The display may update in substantiallyreal-time as fluid is removed from the basin and introduced into thepatient, giving the clinician timely and accurate information for makingclinical decisions.

In practice, monitoring the total volume surgical fluid withdrawn from asurgical fluid warmer basin can be challenging because the basin may berefilled during a procedure and/or non-fluid components may beperiodically added and withdrawn from the basin during the procedure.For example, a clinician may place a sterile asepto bulb syringe and/ora sterile graduated measuring container into the basin and then usethese tools during the procedure to transfer fluid from the basin to thepatient. The apparent volume of surgical fluid in the basin will rise orfall depending on whether the tools are in the basin or out of thebasin.

In some systems according to the disclosure, a user interface isprovided that a clinician can interact with to inform the system whethernew fluid is being added to the basin, whether a tool is being added orremoved from the basin, or the like. For example, the user interface mayinclude a user-manipulable input, such as a button on a console ortouchscreen display, or other mechanism (e.g., foot pedal), that a usercan press to inform the system that a tool is to be added or removedfrom the basin. The user interface may include a separateuser-manipulable input that the user can press to inform the system thatadditional surgical fluid is to be added to the basin. Additionally oralternatively, the system may include a user interface that receivesaudible input or commands from the user and/or an optical detector thatdetects user behavior or commands to determine when surgical fluid or atool are added or removed from the basin.

In operation, a controller associated with the system can monitor thevolume of fluid in the basin based on feedback from the volumemeasurement device. The controller can track reductions in the volume offluid and attribute those reductions to fluid being removed andintroduced into the patient. When the controller is informed via theuser interface that fresh fluid is to be added to the basin, thecontroller can identify that corresponding changes in the measuredvolume of fluid in the basin are associated with new fluid being addedto the basin and not fluid previously withdrawn from the basin beingreturned from the basin. Even if the controller is not informed via theuser interface that fresh fluid is to be added to the basin, if thecontroller detects an increased volume of fluid in the basin (e.g.,above a magnitude typically associated with a tool or fluid beingreturned to the basin), the controller may designate the increasedvolume as being fresh fluid added. In applications where the system isalso configured to check tools in and out of the basin, the controllermay be informed via the user interface that a tool is to be added orremoved from the basin. When so informed, the controller can disregardcorresponding changes in the measured volume of fluid in the basin asbeing associated with the addition or removal of the tool from the basinrather than surgical fluid.

In applications where the system monitors the volume of fluid removedfrom the basin by detecting changes in weight, the system may bedesigned with a floating basin configuration that allows the basin tomove relative to one or more load cells. The basin may be allowed tomove upwardly and downwardly with respect to ground over a restrictedrange of travel as the weight of contents placed in the basin vary. Insome configurations, the basin is mounted to a mounting plate thatpresses against the one or more load cells with an air gap formedbetween the basin and the load cell(s). This air gap, which may beentirely devoid of material or may be filled with a material of lessthermal conductivity than the basin itself, can help thermally isolatethe basin from the load cell(s). In operation, the basin and contentstherein may be heated while the weight of the basin and contents aremeasured by the load cell(s). Creating an air gap between the basin andload cell(s) can help minimize the extent to which the load cells areheated as the basin and contents are heated. In turn, this may helpreduce or eliminate weighing inaccuracies caused by the load cell(s)increasing in temperature.

Independent of the specific configuration of the basin relative to theload cell(s), in applications where the system is configured to measurethe amount of material in the basin and also heat the material, thesystem may use quantity and temperature measurements to control theheating. For example, the system may receive information from the systemconcerning the amount of material in the basin and also concerning ameasured temperature of the material in the basin. If the systemdetermines that the amount of material in the basin is comparativelysmall (e.g., below a threshold) the system may control the heater toprovide a different rate of heating than if the system determines theamount of material in the basin is larger. The system can control theheater to heat the material in the basin until the material reaches ameasured target temperature. In some examples, the system modulates andreduces the rate at which the heater delivers heat as the material inthe basin approaches (e.g., gets within a threshold range) of the targettemperature. Controlling the rate of heating based on the amount ofmaterial in the basin and/or measured temperature of the material can beuseful to prevent overheating of the material, such as during startupwhen the material is heating from ambient temperature.

A thermal treatment system according to the disclosure can have avariety of other features in addition to or in lieu of volumemeasurement and tracking capabilities. For example, the system mayinclude a basin that is configured to receive a disposable drape. Thedrape may conform to the shape of the basin and have a skirt that hangsdown the side of the basin. Installation of the drape in the basin canestablish a sterile field for subsequent introduction of the sterilesurgical fluid and/or tools in the basin and drape contained therein.

To help ensure that the drape placed in the basin is suitable andcompatible with the system—for example, can tolerate the thermalconditions generated by the system without degrading—the temperaturemanagement system may include a non-contact reader. The non-contactreader can be implemented as part of a system intended to function withcorresponding disposable drapes containing non-contact tags. Inoperation, when a clinician places a drape in the basin, the non-contactreader can emit a signal searching for a corresponding tag on the drape.If the system reads identification information off of the non-contacttag on the drape and confirms that the drape is authorized for use, thesystem can proceed with operation. On the other hand, if the systemdetermines that the drape lacks a non-contact tag or that theidentification information on the tag is not authorized, the system mayprohibit further operation. In one example, the non-contact reader andcorresponding tag can be implemented using near field communication(NFC) technology. A system according to the disclosure can haveadditional or different features, as described herein.

In one example, a system for thermally treating surgical fluid isdescribed that includes a basin, a thermal treatment device, a volumemeasurement device, and a controller. The basin is configured to receiveand hold a surgical fluid. The thermal treatment device is thermallycoupled to the basin and configured to adjust a temperature of thesurgical fluid in the basin. The volume measurement device is positionedto obtain volume information concerning a volume of surgical fluid inthe basin. According to the example, the controller is configured toreceive volume measurement information from the volume measurementdevice concerning the volume of surgical fluid in the basin during thecourse of a procedure. The controller is further configured to determinethe volume of surgical fluid removed from the basin during theprocedure.

In another example, a method is described that includes engaging a userinterface on a device for thermally treating surgical fluid, therebyinforming the device that surgical fluid is to be added to the device.The method further includes adding the surgical fluid to a basin of thedevice and engaging the user interface of the device, thereby informingthe device that the surgical fluid has been added to the device. Themethod involves removing surgical fluid from the basin and displaying bythe device a volume of surgical fluid removed from the basin.

In another example, a system for heating surgical fluid is described.The system includes a base mounted on wheels and a basin supported byand vertically elevated above the base, with the basin being configuredto receive and hold a surgical fluid. The system also includes a heaterthermally coupled to the basin and configured to increase a temperatureof the surgical fluid in the basin, and a weighing device positioned toobtain weight information concerning a weight of the basin and anycontents thereof. The system further includes a user interfaceconfigured to receive a user indication that surgical fluid is to beadded to the basin. The controller is configured to receive weightmeasurement information from the weight measurement device concerningthe weight of surgical fluid in the basin during the course of aprocedure, receive at least one indication via the user interface thatthe medical tool is to be added or removed from the basin during theprocedure, and determine the volume of surgical fluid used during theprocedure based on the received weight measurement information and thereceived at least one indication.

In another example, a thermal treatment system is described thatincludes a fluid reservoir, a thermal treatment device, a mountingplate, and a weight measurement device. The fluid reservoir has a baseand at least one sidewall that are configured to receive and hold amaterial. The thermal treatment device is thermally coupled to the fluidreservoir and configured to adjust a temperature of the material in thefluid reservoir. The mounting plate has a first side and a second sideopposite the first side. The mounting plate is attached to the fluidreservoir with an air gap formed between the first side of the mountingplate and the base of the fluid reservoir. The weight measurement deviceis positioned on the second side of the mounting plate that isconfigured to measure a weight of the fluid reservoir and any contentstherein.

In a further example, a thermal treatment system is described. Thethermal treatment system includes a basin configured to receive and holda material to be heated, a thermal treatment device thermally coupled tothe basin and configured to adjust a temperature of the material to beheated in the basin, a weight measurement device positioned to measure aweight of the basin and any contents therein, a user interface, and acontroller. The controller is in communication with the user interface,the thermal treatment device, and the weight measurement device. Theexample specifies that the controller is configured to receive a targettemperature via the user interface to which any contents in the basinare to be heated, receive weight measurement information from the weightmeasurement device concerning the weight of the basin and any contentstherein, and receive temperature measurement information from thetemperature sensor concerning a measured temperature of any contents inthe basin. The controller is further configured to control the thermaltreatment device to heat the basin and any contents therein based onweight measurement information received from the weight measurementdevice and temperature measurement information received from thetemperature sensor to heat any contents in the basin to the targettemperature.

In an additional example, a weight measurement device is described thatincludes a base and a reservoir supported by the base. The reservoir isconfigured to receive and hold a material to be weighed. The reservoirincludes a base and a sloped sidewall extending vertically upwardly awayfrom the base, with the base and sloped sidewall collectively forming abounded cavity with open top surface that receives and holds thematerial to be weighed. The device also includes a weighing devicepositioned to obtain weight information concerning a weight of thereservoir and any contents therein, a user interface, and a controller.The controller is configured to receive weight measurement informationfrom the weight measurement device concerning the weight of thereservoir and the material to be weighed therein and to display a weightof the material to be weighed on the user interface.

The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, objects, andadvantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and fromthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-3 are perspective, side, and top views, respectively, of anexample system for thermally treating a surgical fluid.

FIG. 4A is a sectional view of the example system of FIGS. 1-3 takenalong the A-A sectional line indicated on FIG. 1.

FIG. 4B is a perspective top view of the example system of FIG. 1 shownwith the basin removed for purposes of illustrating an exampleconfiguration of a height adjustment mechanism.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an example drape that can be used with thesystem of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating components that can beused in the example system of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example technique that can be used tomonitor the amount of surgical fluid removed from a thermal treatmentdevice during a medical procedure.

FIG. 8A is an example user interface that can be used on the examplesystem of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 8B is an example display that can be used on the example system ofFIGS. 1-3.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate example bottle pocket configurations that canbe used on the example system of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the example system in FIG. 1 illustrating anexample temperature sensor arrangement.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process forcontrolling an amount of thermal energy to be delivered to fluid beingheated in the example system of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 12 is an exploded cross-sectional view taken along the A-Asectional line indicated on FIG. 1 showing an example arrangement ofcomponents.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, this disclosure is directed to devices, systems, andtechniques for monitoring and/or determining the amount of a material ina surgical environment and, optionally, adjusting the temperature ofsuch material. In some examples, a system is configured for thermallytreating surgical fluid before utilizing the fluid during a medicalprocedure. The surgical fluid may be temperature adjusted within thesystem to raise the temperature above ambient temperature or reduce thetemperature below ambient temperature. The system can also maintain thesurgical fluid at an elevated or reduced temperature relative to ambienttemperature until the surgical fluid is ready to be used during aprocedure. In use, the surgical fluid may be withdrawn from the systemand dispensed over a surgical site on or in a patient to irrigate thesite and flush away bodily matter. A suction device may be used to drawthe surgical fluid back out of the patient along with flushed bodilymatter, preventing the surgical fluid from accumulating in an opencavity of the patient.

In some examples, a thermal treatment system according to the disclosuremonitors the amount of surgical fluid withdrawn from the system. Byassuming that all the withdrawn surgical fluid not returned to thesystem is introduced into the patient, the system can indicate theamount of surgical fluid introduced into the patient during a procedure.In some configurations, the system includes a display that updates insubstantially real-time and reports the volume of fluid withdrawn fromthe system. This information can be helpful to guide cliniciansperforming a procedure. For example, with knowledge of the amount offluid introduced into the patient during the procedure, the clinicianmay confirm that a proportional (e.g., equal) amount of fluid has beenwithdrawn from the patient and collected using a suction device. Asanother example, the clinician may determine that the patient is beingover irrigated based on the amount of surgical fluid consumed and slowor stop further irrigation.

A thermal treatment system according to the disclosure can includeadditional or different features to provide safe and efficient surgicalfluid temperature adjustment. For example, a thermal treatment systemmay include a reader operable to read information encoded on a drapeinserted into system. The reader may be implemented using a non-contactreader, such as an optical reader, RFID reader, NFC reader, or similarnon-contact reader. The reader may read information encoded on orembedded in a drape inserted into the system. If the reader does notdetect encoded information on the drape, or if the authenticity of theencoded information cannot be confirmed, the system may prohibitoperation of a thermal treatment device. This can help ensure that ifthe material the drape is manufactured from is not compatible with theoperating conditions of the system (e.g., temperature conditions), thesystem will not proceed with operation. As another example, the readermay detect if a drape has already been used based on the informationread from the drape (e.g., and comparison to stored informationidentifying previously used drapes) and prevent the system fromoperating if the drape has already been used (and therefore likely isnot sterile).

FIGS. 1-3 are perspective, side, and top views, respectively, of anexample system 10 for thermally treating a surgical fluid. In theillustrated example, system 10 includes a base 12 and a basin 14. Basin14 is supported by and vertically elevated above base 12. Basin 14 mayprovide an open reservoir into which surgical fluid can be dispensed orother material being processed introduced. Once added to basin 14, thesurgical fluid can be temperature adjusted within the basin. Forexample, basin 14 may be thermally coupled to a thermal treatment devicethat can raise or lower the temperature of thermal fluid. Basin 14 canalso maintain surgical fluid at a target temperature until the fluid isremoved from the basin and used in the procedure.

As described in greater detail below, system 10 may monitor the amountof fluid added to and/or removed from basin 14. System 10 may, but neednot, also receive indications when non-fluid components, such as medicaltools, are added to and/or removed from basin 14. During a procedure, aclinician may add fresh surgical fluid to basin 14 and also place one ormore medical tools in the basin. The terms fresh surgical fluid or freshmaterial indicates that the fluid or material is being introduced tobasin 14 for the first time (e.g., from a sterile container) and is notfluid or other material that has been withdrawn from the basin and isbeing reintroduced back to the basin. The medical tools may be surgicalinstruments that are kept at a controlled temperature before being takenout of basin 14 and inserted into the patient. Additionally oralternatively, the medical tools may be equipment for deliveringsurgical fluid from basin 14 to the patient, such as an asepto bulbsyringe and/or a graduated measuring container.

System 10 can determine when surgical fluid is removed from basin 14 anddistinguish from when medical tools are removed from the basin. System10 may also identify when fresh fluid is added to basin 14 anddistinguish from when medical tools are added to the basin. System 10may then determine the amount of surgical fluid removed from basin 14during a procedure based on the amount of fluid added to the basin andthe current volume of surgical fluid in the basin. System 10 may furtherdetermine when one or more medical tools have been added and/or removedfrom the basin to determine the amount of surgical fluid removed fromthe basin.

To allow an operator to interact with system 10 and control differentsettings, system 10 may include a user interface. In the example ofFIGS. 1-3, system 10 includes at least one user interface 16. Userinterface 16 can include a user input through which a clinician inputsinformation to system 10 and a user output from which the clinicianreceives information from the system. For example, user interface 16 mayinclude one or more manipulable inputs that the clinician can interactwith to adjust settings of system 10, provide an indication that freshfluid is being added to basin 14, provide an indication thatnon-surgical components are being added or removed from system 10, orthe like. The manipulable user input may be implemented as physicallydepressible buttons (e.g., switches), portions of a touch screen that aclinician can interact with, or other features that a clinician caninteract with to convey information to system 10. The user output ofuser interface 16 may be a display that provides graphical and/ortextual information concerning the operation of system 10.

While user interface 16 is illustrated as including a display and one ormore buttons that a user physically touches to interact with system 10,the system may include any type of interface that a user may interactwith to communicate with the system. For example, system 10 may includea microphone that detects sounds (e.g., fluid being poured into basin14) and/or audible commands from the user. As another example, system 10may include an optical detector that detects user action (e.g., fluidbeing poured into basin 14, a tool being removed from the basin) and/ora non-contact user command (e.g., a user gesture such as placing a handor fluid bottle in front of an optical sensor). When implemented withoptical detection capabilities, the system may include a camera thatmonitors basin 14 and/or the surrounding space and performs imagerecognition techniques to detect user interaction and/or commands withthe system. As another example, the system may include a light emitterthat detects when a light pathway is broken, such as a laser beam overthe opening of basin 14 to detect when material is are added and/orremoved from the basin. In this configuration, the system may determinewhether surgical fluid or a medical tool is being added or removed frombasin 14 based on the optical reflection characteristics and materialproperties of the component being added or removed. System 10 caninclude multiple different types of user interfaces (e.g., physicaltouch, audible, optical) any one of which can be engaged by the user toallow the system to determine information about the content of what isbeing added or removed from the system.

Additionally, while system 10 in FIG. 1 shows user interface as having adisplay physically mounted on basin 14, it should be appreciated thatthe display need not be physically attached to the system and/or thesystem may not have a display. For example, system 10 may include aremote electronic device (e.g., computer, tablet, smart phone, touchscreen monitor) that is physically separate from basin 14 but inwireless communication with the basin, either directly or indirectly. Auser may interact with the remote electronic device to input parametersfor controlling basin 14 (e.g., a target temperature to which fluid isto be heated) and/or may receive data from the basin (e.g., dataindicating a volume of fluid added and/or removed from the basin, aweight of material in the basin, a set temperature and/or a currenttemperature for material in the basin).

In addition to or in lieu of having a remote user interface 16 throughwhich a user can interact with basin 14, the basin may be configured totransfer data related to its use to a remote computer. For example,basin 14 may transfer data concerning one or more of: a targettemperature to which the basin was set during a procedure, the amount offluid added to the basin during the procedure, the amount of fluidremoved from the basin during the procedure, the times at which one ormore medical tools were added and/or removed from the basin, the actualtemperature of the fluid in the basin throughout the procedure and/or asfluid was removed from the basin, and combinations thereof. The basin 14may transfer the data to a remote computer through a removablenon-transitory storage medium (e.g., flash drive, CD), through a wiredconnection, and/or through a wireless connection (e.g., cellulartelephone protocol, Bluetooth™ protocol, Wi-Fi protocol, or other radiofrequency). In some examples, basin 14 transfers the data to a cloudcomputing network. The transferred data may include or be associatedwith a patient identification corresponding to a patient for whom system10 was used during a medical procedure. Using one or more remotecomputers, the data from a single procedure or aggregated data frommultiple procedures may be analyzed to identify trends and utilizationimprovement opportunities, e.g., for a specific device or for multipledevices within a common ownership structure.

In applications where system 10 includes a display, the system can beconfigured with a single display or multiple displays. In FIGS. 1-3,system 10 is illustrated as having a first display that forms part ofuser interface 16 and a second display 18. The first display ispositioned on an exterior surface of one side of basin 14 while thesecond display is positioned on an exterior surface on a substantiallyopposite side of the basin. This arrangement can be useful to allowclinicians working on different sides of basin 14 to see informationregarding the operation of system 10. In some examples, second display18 is part of a user interface that includes the same features andfunctionalities (e.g., user input(s) and/or user output(s)) as firstuser interface 16. This can allow the clinician to present informationto and receive information from system 10 when working on either side ofthe system. In other examples, second display 18 may be a display thatprovide a user output but does not have user input controls. In theseapplications, the clinician may enter information or commands throughuser input(s) on user interface 16 but be able to view outputinformation on both displays. Example user interface and displayconfigurations that can be used as user interface 16 and/or display 18are described with respect to FIGS. 8A and 8B.

In addition, although the first display forming part of user interface16 and the second display 18 are shown being mounted at a downwardlydirected angle with respect to uppermost edge of basin 14, the displayscan be mounted at any desired angle. For example, the first displayforming part of user interface 16 and the second display 18 may bemounted at the same angle or different angles with respect to the basin.In one example, second display 18 is mounted on the system at a sharperangle (e.g., such that the display is more perpendicular with ground)than the first display, providing greater visibility to users positionedfarther away from the basin. Moreover, while the first display formingpart of user interface 16 and the second display 18 are shown on opposedexterior surfaces of basin 14, one or both of the displays may be remotefrom the basin and communicatively coupled thereto (e.g., to displayinformation associated with the basin although not physically connectedthereto), as discussed above. For example, first display forming part ofuser interface 16 and/or the second display 18 may be implemented usinga television or computer monitor (e.g., within an operating suite), on aportable device carried by a clinician (e.g., mobile phone, tabletcomputer), or otherwise located physically separate from basin 14.

Thermal treatment system 10 includes basin 14. Basin 14 provides areservoir that receives and holds surgical fluid. In general, basin 14can define any polygonal (e.g., rectangle, square, hexagonal) or arcuate(e.g., circular, elliptical) shape, or even combinations of polygonaland arcuate shapes. In the illustrated example, basin 14 is shown as ageneral oval shape and includes a base 20 and at least one slopesidewall 22 extending vertically upwardly away from the base. Base 20and sloped sidewall 22 collectively form a bounded cavity with open topsurface that receives and holds the surgical fluid. Configuring basin 14with sloped sidewall(s) instead of straight sidewalls helps preventsurgical fluid from accumulating in corners where the sidewall(s)intersects the base. That being said, in other examples, basin 14 may beformed with straight sidewalls. Further, while basin 14 is illustratedas having an open top surface for adding material to the basin andwithdrawing material from the basin, the basin may be closed over itstop surface in other configurations.

In addition, although basin 14 is illustrated as having a singlereservoir for holding medical fluid, the basin may be formed withmultiple reservoirs separated from each other. For example, basin 14 maybe a single cavity with internal partition(s) or divider(s) separatingone or more reservoir cavities from fluid communication with one or moreother reservoir cavities. Alternatively, basin 14 may be configured withmultiple cavities (e.g., each separately molded or formed), eachproviding a separate reservoir for receiving and holding fluid. In use,each cavity may be filled with the same fluid, or at least one cavitymay be filled with a fluid different than the fluid filled in at leastone other cavity. Additionally, in some configurations, each cavity maybe provided with a separate thermal treatment device, allowingindependent temperature adjustment of different cavities. This can beuseful, for example, to heat fluid in different cavities to differenttemperatures, heat fluid in one cavity while chilling fluid in anothercavity to create a slush, or otherwise providing temperature controlflexibility.

Any type of material may be introduced into and removed from basin 14during a procedure, including any type of surgical fluid during amedical procedure. Example types of medical fluid that may be usedduring a medical procedure include water, saline, or the like. Thesurgical fluid may or may not include medicament, such as compoundsimparting antibacterial properties, anticoagulation/coagulationproperties, anesthesia properties, or the like. Alternative materialsthat may be introduced into basin 14 can include a medical specimenextracted from a patient for weighing (e.g., in embodiments in whichbasin is configured to measure weight), blood, platelets, or materialsfor thermal adjustment before being introduced into a patient, ornon-medical related materials (e.g., in applications in which system 10is not used in a medical environment).

In the configuration of FIGS. 1-3, basin 14 is supported by andvertically elevated above base 12. In particular, basin 14 is mounted onan elongated housing 24 that extends vertically upwardly from base 12.Base 12 and housing 24 can elevate basin 14 to a position where it isconvenient for a clinician to interact with the basin. In some examples,housing 24 contains one or more receiving cavities that are configuredto receive containers of surgical fluid. For example, housing 24 maycontain one or more pockets positioned along the length of the housinginto which surgical fluid containers can be inserted. The pockets may ormay not be heated to provide pre-warmed surgical fluid. In either case,the pockets may store container(s) of surgical fluid for ready accessduring a medical procedure. If additional surgical fluid is neededduring the procedure, the clinician can extract a container of freshsurgical fluid from the pocket in housing 24 and add the surgical fluidto basin 14. For example, FIG. 9A illustrates a thermal treatment systemhaving a bottle pocket 200 formed in the housing defining basin 14. FIG.9B illustrates another thermal treatment system having a bottle pocket202 formed along the length of the housing. Such bottle pocket designscan be used on thermal treatment system 10 of FIGS. 1-3.

In some examples, basin 14 is at a fixed height relative to base 12and/or the surface (e.g., floor, counter, table top) on which system 10is mounted. In other examples, system 10 includes a height adjustmentmechanism that is operable to adjust a height of basin 14 relative tobase 12. This can be useful to allow clinicians of different heights toreposition basin 14 at a comfortable working height. FIG. 4A is asectional view of system 10 from FIG. 1 taken along the A-A sectionalline indicated on FIG. 1 showing an example height adjustment mechanism.

As shown in the example of FIG. 4A, system 10 includes a heightadjustment mechanism that is implemented with a piston 26 and anadjustment lever 28 (FIG. 1). Piston 26 may include a sliding shaftpositioned in a chamber containing a compressible fluid (e.g., gas,liquid) or a spring. The sliding shaft can be moved by fluid or springpressure to raise basin 14, and an operator can push basin 14 downwardlyto lower the basin and cause the sliding shaft to move against fluidpressure or the spring. Adjustment lever 28 can control the position ofpiston 26 and, correspondingly, the position of basin 14. For example,adjustment lever 28 may open and close a valve that controls fluidmovement to piston 26 and/or move a detent into and out of a lockingaperture. Adjustment lever 28 can be positioned as a hand control asshown in FIG. 1 or may be implemented as a foot control. In otherconfigurations in which system 10 has a height adjustment mechanism, theheight adjustment mechanism may be implemented using a rotating lockingcollar that controls the position of two sliding shafts relative to eachother.

Mounting basin 14 to be movable via a height adjustment mechanism may beuseful to enable the basin to be moved to different elevations, e.g.,depending on the height of the operator using the basin and spaceconstraints in the environment in which the basin is being used. Inpractice, in applications in which basin 14 is mounted above a piston26, the basin may rotate in the horizontal plane unless otherwiseconstrained. Such constraint may come from the configuration of piston26 having a limited range of rotation. However, when basin 14 is at anelevated height, fluid present in the basin may cause the center ofgravity to shift and the basin may have a tendency to rock or wobble inthe horizontal plane undesirably. Such rocking or wobbling may causefluid present in basin 14 to spill out of the basin if too severe. Tohelp constrain basin 14 from unintended rotational movement, system 10may include one or more anti-rotational features to help constrain thebasin from rotating.

FIG. 4B is a perspective top view of system 10 (shown with basin 14removed for purposes of illustration) showing an example configurationof a height adjustment mechanism with an anti-rotation configuration. Inthis example, piston 26 is mounted within a central lumen of housing 24between base 12 and basin 14. In addition, the height adjustmentmechanism includes at least one anti-rotation rod, which is illustratedas being implemented using two anti-rotation rods 25A, 25B. Theanti-rotation rods 25A, 25B extend parallel to piston 26 and are ondifferent sides of the piston. The anti-rotation rods 25A, 25B canextend partially, and in some examples fully, along the length ofhousing 24 and can be raised and lowered with piston 26. For example,anti-rotation rods 25A, 25B may be fixedly connected at one end (e.g.,at their upper ends to basin 14) and may travel through a fixed oppositemember and/or be telescoping at their opposite ends. When so configured,anti-rotation rods 25A, 25B may raise and lower with basin 14 and piston26 and may counteract a rotational moment applied to basin 14, reducingor eliminating any rotational movement of the basin.

In other configurations, the height adjustment mechanism may include twocomponents movable relative to each other that are interlocked with atongue and groove configuration. For example, housing 24 and/or piston26 may include one member connected to base 12 and a second memberconnected to basin 14, with the two members being slidable relative toeach other. Providing a slidable and interlocking tongue and grooveconnection between the two members can help minimize rotation of basin14.

To accommodate various components positioned in housing 24 and/orextending from base 12 to basin 14, the lumen defined by housing 24 mayinclude one or more openings through which components in the housingextend. In the example of FIG. 4B, housing 24 defines the first lumen 27through which piston 26 is inserted, one or more secondary lumens 29A,29B through which the one or more anti-rotation rods 25A, 25B areinserted, and an optional third lumen 31 through which wiring can beinserted. The third lumen 31 may be in the form of a wiring race thatallows a communication cable to extend from basin 14 to the bottom ofhousing 24 and/or base 12.

For example, as discussed in greater detail below, system 10 may includea foot actuatable peddle 40. To send and/or receive signals between footactuatable peddle 40 and basin 14 (e.g., a controller mounted in thebasin housing), system 10 may include a communication cable (e.g.,electrical cable, optical cable) extending from the foot actuatablepeddle to the basin. The cable may have a length sufficient to reachfrom the foot actuatable peddle to the basin when the basin is at itsmaximum elevated position. The cable may have coils (e.g., such as acoiled telephone cord) to allow the cord to be extended and retraced asbasin 14 is elevated and lowered. As another example, the cable mayextend out of a retraction housing that causes the cable to be draw outof the housing and be retracted into the housing as basin is elevatedand lowered, respectively. In either case, configuring housing 24 with awiring lumen physically separated from a lumen housing piston 26 can beuseful to prevent the cable from being pinched, kinked, or broken bypiston 26 as basin 14 is raised and/or lowered. In some examples, thedifferent lumens into which housing 24 is divided extend the length ofhousing 24. In other examples, housing 24 includes one or more dividerplates to define the lumens while the space above and/or below the oneor more divider plates are undivided.

Independent of the specific configuration of the height adjustmentmechanism, the height adjustment mechanism may be designed to positionthe basin at an elevation ranging from 24 inches to 60 inches. Forexample, the height adjustment mechanism may allow an operator to adjusta top surface of basin 14 to any desired height, including heightswithin a range from 36 inches to 48 inches. The height adjustmentmechanism (e.g., piston, when used) may provide a force effective tolift a weight of at least 5 kilograms, such as from 7 kilograms to 15kilograms, over the entire range of travel.

Base 12 supports system 10, e.g., on a floor of a medical procedureroom, on a table, on a countertop. In the configuration of FIGS. 1-3,base 12 is mounted on wheels 33 so as to be movable from one location toanother. One or more of the wheels can be lockable to prevent base 12from moving once positioned at a desired location. In other examples,base 12 does not include wheels 33. Moreover, while base 12 isillustrated as being physically separate from basin 14 and connectedthereto via housing 24 and piston 26, in other examples, basin 14 andbase 12 may be physically integrated together to form a unitarystructure. It should be appreciated therefore that base 12 need not be aphysically separate structure from basin 14 but may be a portion of thebasin structure which rests on a support surface. Accordingly, base 12need not be configured with outwardly extending spokes but may be anytype of support structure that forms a base for basin 14. In someexamples, system 10 may not include base 12.

To power system 10, including a thermal treatment device that controlsthe temperature of surgical fluid placed in basin 14, the system mayhave a power cord that plugs into mains/wall power. To manage the powercord when not in use, system 10 in FIGS. 1-3 includes a cord wrapstructure. In particular, the illustrated system includes a pair oflongitudinally spaced hooks 30 configured to receive a power cordwrapped thereabout. In other configurations, system 10 can include aspring-loaded retraction device that automatically retracts the powercord into a power cord retention chamber. In addition to or in lieu ofusing a power cord to supply wall power to system 10, the system maycontain an internal battery to power the functions of the system. Whenso configured, one or more internal batteries may be provided that mayor may not be rechargeable and/or replaceable. When used, the batterycan be the primary power source for powering system 10 or, instead, mayfunction as a backup power source in the event in that the main powersource (e.g., wall power) fails.

Since system 10 may be deployed to different geographical regionsthroughout the world, the system may include circuitry to run ondifferent power sources. For example, the system may operate on 110 voltelectricity in some countries and 220 volt electricity in othercountries. To configure system 10 as a universal device that can run onany voltage that may be provided from a wall socket in the local countrywhere the system may be deployed, the system may include appropriateelectrical circuitry. In some examples, system 10 includes a transformerthat steps that voltage received from the wall socket up or down to anappropriate voltage for operating system 10, e.g., including a thermaltreatment device therein. In other examples, system 10 may include avoltage sense integrated circuit that detects the voltage from the wallsocket to which the device is connected and provides a control signalfor controlling electrical operation of the device. The control signalfrom the integrated circuit may cause one or more electrical pathways toopen or close. For example, when the integrated circuit detects a highvoltage (e.g., 220 V), electricity may be supplied in parallel electricpathways to the thermal treatment device. By contrast, when theintegrated circuit detects a lower voltage (e.g., 110 V), electricitymay be supplied in a series electrical pathway to the thermal treatmentdevice. Accordingly, system 10 and the thermal treatment device thereincan operate on any voltage supplied without requiring or including atransformer. The absences of a transformer can substantially reduce theweight of system as compared to when a transformer is included.

In use, a clinician may dispense fresh, sterile surgical fluid intobasin 14 in preparation for subsequently using the surgical fluid in amedical procedure. While surgical fluid may be dispensed directly intobasin 14, the clinician may instead insert a sterile drape into basin 14before dispensing the surgical fluid into the draped basin. The steriledrape may be a disposable liner that creates a sterile field whichsurgical fluid and other sterile medical components can contact. Thedrape can separate the sterile field from a non-sterile field.

When used, the disposable drape may be made from a material that isimpervious to surgical fluid and sufficiently flexible to conform to thewalls of basin 14. The drape can be fitted or non-fitted. A fitted drapecan be constructed such that the drape is formed to the contour of basin14 (e.g., matches the size and/or shape of the basin). A non-fitteddrape may be a flat or pleated and have a length sufficient to be placedover basin 14. In either case, the drape may be placed in basin 14 so asto conform to the walls of the basin. In some examples, the drape alsoextends over the sides of basin 14, e.g., hanging down parallel tohousing 24. Additionally, in some examples, the drape may have internalpartition(s) or divider(s) creating one or more reservoir cavities thatare separated from fluid communication with one or more other reservoircavities. When so configured, the drape can transform a single fluidcavity of basin 14 into multiple fluid cavities.

A disposable drape used with basin 14 may have a thickness sufficient toresist tearing and puncturing during normal use but also be sufficientlythin to allow efficient thermal transfer through the drape. While adisposable drape can be made from any suitable materials, in someexamples, the drape is made from a polymeric material (e.g.,polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyurethane). The drape (or aportion thereof) may be transparent or translucent to allow an operatorto see features covered by the drape.

In one particular application, a disposable drape used with system 10and basin 14 is a thermoformed polymeric drape. A thermoformed drape canbe formed by heating a plastic sheet to a temperature where the plasticsheet becomes pliable and then conforming the plastic sheet to a moldthat has the dimensions (e.g., size and shape) of basin 14. Uponcooling, the thermoformed drape will retain the shape of the mold and,correspondingly, basin 14. Depending on the thickness of the plasticsheet used, the resulting thermoformed drape may be rigid or semi-rigid.For example, a semi-rigid drape may maintain the size and shape profileof basin 14 but have flex that allows the drape the bend and flex. Athermoformed drape may appear stronger and more robust to a clinicianthan a simple flexible plastic sheet drape and therefore may be desiredbecause of apparent resistance to puncturing.

As briefly mentioned above, a drape used with system 10 may containmachine readable information that identifies the drape. When the drapeis placed on basin 14, the machine-readable information can be read by areader of system 10 to determine if the drape is suitable for use withthe system. This can prevent improper drapes, such as drapes that do nothave the appropriate strength or thermal resistance characteristics,from being used on system 10. For example, the drape may containinformation that can be read by an optical or electro-magnetic reader todetermine if the drape is authorized for use with system 10.

In some configurations in accordance with this example, the drapecontains a tag encoding machine-readable information. The tag may beadhered to a surface of the drape or embedded within the drape (e.g.,sealed between different layers of polymeric material). The tag cancontain information identifying the drape, such as a code ormanufacturing number (e.g., lot or unit number), the name of themanufacturer, the date of manufacture, and the like. In someconfigurations, the tag is configured as a non-contact tag whoseinformation can be read by bringing the tag in proximity to a reader ofsystem 10 without requiring the tag physically contact the reader. Thiscan be helpful to allow a clinician to position the tag in closeproximity to a corresponding reader simply by inserting the drape inbasin 14 without requiring further placement of the tag. Although anytype of tag suitable for use with a non-contact reader can be used, insome examples, a drape used with system 10 contains a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag or a near field communication (NFC) tag.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an example drape 35 that can be used withsystem 10 in FIGS. 1-3. In the illustrated example, drape 35 includes arigid or semi-rigid bowl portion 32 that is inserted into basin 14 andconforms to the size and shape of the basin. Bowl portion 32 has a rim34 that extends around and over at least a portion of the edge of basin14, e.g., allowing the drape to snap or lock on the rim of the basin. Indifferent examples, rim 34 may be friction fit on the edge of basin 14or may include mechanical engagement features that lock on/into the edgeof the basin, preventing drape 35 from inadvertently dislodging frombasin 14. To allow a clinician to view and interact with system 10,drape 35 may include physical cutouts or transparent windows 37 that areconfigured to be positioned over user interface 16 and display 18.

In addition, in the example of FIG. 5, drape 35 further includes a skirt36 and a tag 38 containing information identifying drape 35. Skirt 36 isconnected to rim 34 and hangs down over the edge of basin 14. Skirt 36may be formed of a flexible material, such as flexible plastic that isbonded to a thermoformed bowl portion 32. Tag 38 can containmachine-readable information (e.g., encoded on a computer readablememory that is part of tag 38). Tag 38 is positioned on drape 35 suchthat, when the drape is placed on basin 14, the tag is in close enoughproximity to have its information read by a corresponding reader ofsystem 10. While FIG. 5 illustrates one example configuration of a drapeaccording to the disclosure, other configurations of drapes can be usedas described herein, and it should be appreciated that the disclosure isnot limited in this respect.

With further reference to system 10 in FIGS. 1-3, the example thermaltreatment device includes a foot actuatable peddle 40. Generally,medical procedures are performed in an operating room or other medicalfacility with the assistance of various sterile and non-sterile medicalpersonnel. The sterile personnel refers to personnel that have taken thenecessary precautions enabling them to interact with objects in asterile field without contaminating that field, while non-sterilepersonnel refers to personnel that have not taken those precautions andare capable of contaminating the sterile field. Since thermal treatmentsystem 10 treats a sterile surgical fluid in the sterile field during amedical procedure, sterile personal are generally needed to operate thesystem.

Configuring thermal treatment system 10 with foot actuatable peddle 40can be useful to provide an alternative mechanism for interacting withthe system. In some examples, foot actuatable peddle 40 may function asa user input that can be used by a clinician in addition to or in lieuof user interface 16 to input information into system 10. For example, aclinician may press on foot actuatable peddle 40 to provide anindication to system 10 that fresh fluid is being added to basin 14,that non-surgical components are being added or removed from system 10,or the like. Depending on the configuration of system 10, footactuatable peddle 40 may provide an alternative input for conveyinginformation to the system that can also be performed using userinterface 16 as discussed above. In other configurations, footactuatable peddle 40 may be used to convey information to system 10 thatcannot be provided through user interface 16.

Actuation of peddle 40 (e.g., pressing the peddle downwardly or pullingthe peddle upwardly with a foot) can convey information to system 10without requiring the clinician to use their hand to interact with userinterface 16 (in instances in which user interface 16 is configured toreceive input via physical touching from a user). Configuring system 10with foot actuatable peddle 40 can be useful for a variety of reasons.For example, sterile personnel may not be able to engage user interface16 because their hands are occupied. In these situations, the sterilepersonnel may engage foot actuatable peddle 40 to interact with system10. As another example, non-sterile personnel may be tasked withinteracting with system 10, e.g., adding fresh surgical fluid to basin14. Because these non-sterile personnel have not undergone necessarilysterilization protocols, they may not be allowed to interact withfeatures in the sterile field, including user interface 16. However,because foot actuatable peddle 40 can be in the non-sterile field (e.g.,outside of drape 35), non-sterile personnel may interact with system 10using the peddle. For example, when adding fresh surgical fluid to basin14, personnel may press on foot actuatable pedal 40 a first time toindicate that the surgical fluid is to be added to the basin. Afteradding the surgical fluid to basin 14, the personnel may press footactuatable pedal 40 a second time to indicate that the surgical fluidhas been added to the basin.

While peddle 40 is described as being actuatable, the entire peddle neednot move or actuate to be considered a foot actuatable peddle. Forexample, peddle 40 may have a transducer or other switch, a portion ofwhich moves in response to an operator physically pressing on peddle 40.The external portion of peddle 40 which the operator's foot contacts mayor may not move. In either case, peddle 40 may send a control signal toa controller of system 10 in response to the operator pressing on peddle40.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating components of anexample configuration of thermal treatment system 10, which includespreviously described base 12, basin 14, user interface 16, and display18. System 10 in the illustrated example also includes a controller 42,volume measurement device 44, thermal treatment device 46, temperaturesensor 48, and non-contact reader 50. Controller 42 is communicativelyconnected to user interface 16, display 18, foot actuatable pedal 40,volume measurement device 44, thermal treatment device 46, temperaturesensor 48, and non-contact reader 50. Controller 42 can sendcommunication signals to and/or receive communication signals from userinterface 16, display 18, foot actuatable pedal 40, volume measurementdevice 44, thermal treatment device 46, temperature sensor 48, andnon-contact reader 50 via wired or wireless connections, which in theexample of FIG. 6 is illustrated as wired connections.

Controller 42 includes a processor 52 and memory 54. Memory 54 storessoftware for running controller 42 and may also store data generated orreceived by processor 52, e.g., from volume measurement device 44,temperature sensor 48, and non-contact reader 50. Processor 52 runssoftware stored in memory 54 to manage the operation of system 10.

System 10 in FIG. 6 also includes a power source 56 to deliver operatingpower to the various components of the system. Power source 56 may be abattery that is replaceable or rechargeable. Additionally oralternatively, power source 56 may be a power inlet that receives powerfrom an external source. For example, power source 56 may be a powerinlet connected to a cord that plugs into a wall socket to deliver powerto system 10. The power received from the external source may recharge abattery contained in system 10 and/or power the various components ofthe system directly.

The various components of system 10 are illustrated as being containedwithin a housing or shell 58 that surrounds and defines basin 14.Housing or shell 58 can contain the various components of system 10between the surfaces forming basin 14 and external wall surfaces of thehousing. When so configured, the electrical components of system 10illustrated in FIG. 6 may rise and lower with housing 58 when a heightadjustment mechanism adjusts the vertical height of the basin 14. Inother configurations, any or all of the electrical componentsillustrated in FIG. 6 may be housed in housing 24 and/or base 12.

During operation, controller 42 can control system 10 with the aid ofinstructions associated with information stored in memory 54 and withinstructions received from an operator via user interface 16.Instructions executed by controller 42 may, for example, control thermaltreatment device 46 to heat or cool surgical fluid in basin 14 to atarget temperature set by an operator using user interface 16.Instructions executed by controller 42 may also determine the amount ofsurgical fluid removed from basin 14 during a medical procedure, forexample based on feedback from volume measurement device 44, and controluser interface 16 and/or display 18 to display a graphical and/ortextual indication of the amount of fluid used during the procedure. Insome examples, instructions executed by controller 42 determines if adrape (e.g., drape 35 from FIG. 5) placed on basin 14 is authorized tobe used with system 10, for example based on feedback from non-contactreader 50, and further controls user interface 16 and/or display 18 tooutput an indication of whether or not the drape is authorized.

Controller 42 communicates with thermal treatment device 46 to controlthe temperature of surgical material placed in basin 14. Thermaltreatment device 46 is thermally coupled to basin 14 and operable toadjust the temperature of the basin and any contents therein. Thermaltreatment device 46 can be implemented using any device that produces acontrollable temperature output. In some examples, thermal treatmentdevice 46 can cool basin 14 and any contents therein (e.g., relative toambient temperature) to produce a semi-frozen slush from surgical fluidplaced in the basin. In other examples, thermal treatment device 46 canheat basin 14 and any contents therein (e.g., relative to ambienttemperature) to produce a warmed surgical fluid.

When thermal treatment device 46 is implemented as a warming device, thethermal treatment device may generate heat via electrical resistance.The heat generated by electrical resistance can transfer into basin 14and any contents therein by conduction, convection, and/or radiation.For example, wiring that generates heat via electrical resistance may bepositioned in thermal and/or physical contact with basin 14, forexample, within housing 58. Heat generated by thermal treatment device46 can convey via conduction into basin 14 and any contents therein.

In other examples, a system 10 according to the disclosure does notinclude thermal treatment device 46. In these configurations, system 10may be configured to track volume removed from basin 14 and/or provideweight measurements without thermally adjusting the contents in basin14. For example, system 10 in such a configuration may provide a weightmeasurement device that can be utilized to measure the weight of variousobjects, such as a tissue sample extracted from a patient. System 10 maybe configured with the features and functionalities described herein butwithout the thermal adjustment features and functionalities in suchconfigurations.

As one example, thermal treatment device 46 may be a film heaterpositioned in thermal communication with basin 14. A film heater can bea thin film heater or a thick film heater. In a thin film heater, alayer of resistor material may be vacuum deposited on the surface of asubstrate (e.g., flexible polymer sheet), after which a thin layer ofconductive metal is deposited on top of the resistor material. Portionsof the resulting film stack can be etched away to pattern of metalconductors. In a thick film heater, a paste that is a mixture of abinder, carrier, and metal oxides may be deposited on a substrate (e.g.,printed on the substrate), and then fired in a furnace. A thin filmheater may have a thickness of less than 5 millimeters, such as lessthan 2 millimeters, less than 1 millimeter, less than 0.5 millimeters,or less than 0.25 millimeters.

Independent of the specific configuration of thermal treatment device46, the thermal treatment device may be positioned inside of housing 58to transfer thermal energy to/from basin 14 and any contents thereof.For example, thermal treatment device 46 may be positioned inside ofhousing 58 and in contact with base 20 and/or sidewall(s) 22 of basin 14such that thermal energy transfers via conduction through the baseand/or sidewalls during operation of the thermal transfer device. Basin14 can be fabricated from a thermally conductive metal, such as aluminumor stainless steel to facilitate efficient conduction of thermal energyfrom thermal treatment device 46 to surgical fluid inside of basin 14through the walls of the basin.

When thermal treatment device 46 is implemented as a film heater, thefilm may be wrapped around at least a portion of base 20 and/orsidewall(s) 22 to position the film for transferring thermal energy intoany contents within basin 14. For example, film heater may besubstantially centered about base 20 of basin 14 and may cover amajority (e.g., greater than 50 percent of the base area) or substantialentirety of the base. The film heater may wrap at least partially, andin some examples fully, up the sidewall(s) 22 of basin 14. The amount ofsurface area of base 20 and/or sidewall(s) 22 covered by the film heatermay vary, e.g., depending on the size of basin 14 and heating capacityof the film heater. In some examples, at least 25 percent of thecumulative outside surface area of basin 14 (base 20 and sidewall(s) 22)are covered with the film heater, such as at least 50 percent of thesurface area.

To monitor the temperature of basin 14 and/or the contents in the basin,system 10 in the example of FIG. 6 includes temperature sensor 48.Temperature sensor 48 can sense the temperature of basin 14 and/or thetemperature of the contents therein. In various examples, temperaturesensor 48 may be a thermocouple, a bi-metal mechanical temperaturesensor, an electrical resistance temperature sensor, an opticaltemperature sensor, or any other suitable type of temperature sensor.Temperature sensor 48 can generate a signal that is representative ofthe magnitude of the sensed temperature and communicate the generatedsignal to controller 42. Controller 42 may receive a signal fromtemperature sensor 48 indicative of the temperature measured by thesensor at periodic intervals or continuously. Accordingly, thediscussion of controller 42 receiving measurement information fromtemperature sensor 48 at a particular time is not intended to indicatethat the controller cannot or does not receive measurement informationat other times.

In some examples, temperature sensor 48 is positioned on an exteriorsurface of basin 14 (e.g., on an opposite side of base 20 or sidewall(s)22 from the surgical fluid) and configured to measure the temperature ofthe fluid through the wall surface. In other examples, however, basin 14may include a port through which temperature sensor 48 extends tomeasure the temperature of the fluid directly in the basin rather thanindirectly through a wall surface of the basin. This can enable moreaccurate temperature measurements of the contents of basin 14, e.g., formore accurately controlling thermal treatment device 46, than iftemperature measurements are made indirectly through the wall surface ofthe basin.

FIG. 10 is a top view of basin 14 illustrating an example arrangement oftemperature sensor 48. In the illustrated example, basin 14 defines anopening 49 extending through a wall surface of the basin (e.g.,substantially centered in base 20 in the illustrated configuration).Temperature sensor 48 extends through opening 49 and may be sealedwithin the opening, e.g., with a rubber gasket or other polymericmaterial between the temperature sensor and surrounding wall surface.Temperature sensor 48 may be thermally isolated from the remainder ofbasin 14 by positioning a thermally insulating material between thetemperature sensor and the reminder of the basin. This configuration maybe useful, e.g., when a film heater is wrapped around a wall surface ofbasin 14, because the wall temperature may be different than thetemperature of the fluid in the basin. As heat is delivered to the wallof the basin and/or fluid in the basin is equilibrating with the basin,the basin may be at a different temperature than the fluid in the basin.Accordingly, extending temperature sensor 48 through opening 49 in basin14 and thermally isolating it from a remainder of the basin can providea more accurate measurement of the actual temperature of fluid in thebasin than if the temperature measurement is taken through the basinwall.

During operation of system 10, a clinician may engage user interface 16to set a target temperature to which basin 14 and the contents thereinare intended to be thermally adjusted to using thermal treatment device46. For example, user interface 16 can include a temperature controlthat the clinician can interact with to set a target temperature. Thetemperature control may be a knob, switch, interactable portion of atouch screen, or other user interaction feature through which theclinician can issue commands to set a target temperature. In response toreceiving the target or set temperature from the operator via userinterface 16, controller 42 can perform different actions. Controller 42may control a display associated with user interface 16 and/or display18 to display the target temperature received from the operator.Additionally or alternatively, controller 42 can control thermaltreatment device 46 to adjust the temperature of basin 14 and thecontents therein until a temperature signal from temperature sensor 48indicates that the measured temperature equals the target temperature.

In some examples, thermal treatment device 46 may heat surgical fluid inbasin 14 to a temperature near a patient's normal body temperature, suchas a temperature within the range of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2Celsius) to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9 Celsius), such as from 95degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) to 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.6Celsius). The fluid initially introduced into the basin may be atambient temperature (e.g., 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 Celsius) to 75degrees Fahrenheit (23.9 Celsius)), at an elevated temperature thatbasin 14 is intended to maintain, or even below ambient temperature.Controller 42 may control a display on user interface 16 if the userattempts to set the target temperature to a temperature above athreshold level, such as above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius), orabove 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius). In some such applications,controller 42 may prohibit the user from setting a higher temperatureand may control thermal treatment device 46 to prevent heating above thethreshold. In other configurations, controller 42 may allow the user toacknowledge or accept a high temperature warning provided through userinterface 16 and increase the target temperature past above thethreshold, e.g., up to a maximum temperature. The maximum temperaturemay be the maximum temperature that thermal treatment device 46 can heatfluid in basin 14 to or may be a lower temperature stored by controller42 for safety reasons. For example, the maximum temperature may be setas a temperature less than or equal to 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4degrees Celsius), such as a temperature less than or equal to 120degrees Fahrenheit (48.9 degrees Celsius).

In some examples, controller 42 prevents or terminates operation ofthermal treatment device 46 if the controller determines that nomaterial is present in basin 14. If surgical fluid is not added to basin14 prior to activating thermal treatment device 46, or within anappropriate period of time after activating the thermal treatmentdevice, controller 42 may prevent or terminate operation of the device.For example, when thermal treatment device 46 is configured to heatbasin 14, controller 42 can prevent the heater from dry heating thebasin when there is no surgical fluid in the basin or an insufficientamount of surgical fluid is in the basin. This can help prevent damageto basin 14 and/or thermal treatment device 46.

In some examples, controller 42 determines if a sufficient amount ofmaterial (e.g., surgical fluid) is present in basin 14 based on feedbackfrom volume measurement device 44. Controller 42 can determine thevolume of material present in basin 14 based on a signal received fromvolume measurement device 44. Controller 42 can compare the determinedvolume to information stored in memory 54, for example, informationindicating a threshold amount of material that needs to be present inbasin 14 to allow operation of thermal treatment device 46. Controller42 can prevent thermal treatment device 46 from activating until itdetermines that the threshold amount of material is present in basin 14and/or terminate operation of thermal treatment device 46, e.g., if thethreshold amount of material has not been added to the basin within acertain period of time since activating the thermal treatment device.

In other examples, controller 42 indirectly determines if a sufficientamount of material (e.g., surgical fluid) is present in basin 14 basedon feedback from temperature sensor 48. Upon receiving a targettemperature from an operator via user interface 16, controller 42 mayactivate thermal treatment device 46 and then monitor the temperature ofbasin 14 based on feedback from temperature sensor 48. For example,controller 42 may monitor the temperature of basin 14 from the timethermal treatment device 46 is activated, generating a temperatureprofile indicative of the change in the temperature of the basin overtime. Controller 42 can compare the temperature profile generated duringoperation of thermal treatment device 46 to a temperature profile storedin memory 54. The temperature profile stored in memory 54 may berepresentative of the expected change in the temperature of the basinover time when an appropriate (e.g., threshold) amount of material ispresent in the basin. If controller 42 determines that the temperatureprofile generated during operation of thermal treatment device 46deviates from the temperature profile stored in memory 54 by more than athreshold amount (e.g., 1 percent or more, 5 percent or more, 10 percentor more), controller 42 can terminate operation of thermal treatmentdevice 46.

In some examples, such as examples when volume measurement device 44 isimplemented as a weighing device, controller 42 monitors both the weightof basin 14 and any contents therein (e.g., via the weighing device) aswell as the temperature profile generated during operation of thermaltreatment device 46 (e.g., as measured by temperature sensor 48) todetermine the contents in the basin. For example, upon receiving anindication via user interface 16 to initiate thermal adjustment,controller 42 may detect the weight of basin 14 and contents therein andfurther receive data indicative of the temperature of basin 14 from thetime thermal treatment device 46 is activated, thereby providing atemperature profile indicative of the change in the temperature of thebasin over time. If controller 42 detects weight in basin 14 butdetermines that the temperature profile generated during operationdeviates from a temperature profile stored in memory, the controller maydetermine that tools are present in basin 14 that were not checked-in.Accordingly, controller 42 may respond by controlling a display orproviding other user output (e.g., audible, visual message) instructinga user to remove the tools. Controller 42 may or may not prohibitcontinued thermal adjustment unless the user removes the tools, e.g., asconfirmed by controller 42 detecting a weight change of basin 14 and thecontents thereof.

As another example, if controller 42 detects weight in basin 14 but didnot receive an indication via user interface 16 that fluid was to be tothe basin, the controller may further compare the temperature profilegenerated during operation with a temperature profile stored in memorycorresponding to a heating profile of the fluid. If controller 42determines that the generated temperature profile substantially matchesthe stored temperature profile, the controller may determine that theinitial weight measured in basin 14 is fluid that was not checked-inthrough user interface 16. In such a situation, controller 42 may storethe measured weight corresponding to the contents of basin 14 as fluidweight/volume in a memory associated with the controller. The controllermay subsequently include this weight/volume when tracking subsequentaddition or removal of fluid from the basin, e.g., helping sure that thetotal amount of fluid withdrawn from the basin is accuracy tracked, evenif the operator fails to indicate when fluid is initially being added tobasin 14.

Accordingly, in some configurations, controller 42 can detect the weightof basin 14 and the contents thereof as well the temperature profile ofthe basin generated during thermal adjustment. Controller 42 can comparethe weight and/or temperature profile to information stored in memory todetermine the contents in basin 14, such as if there is only air in thebasin, tools, and/or fluid in the basin. Controller 42 can provide auser output based on the determined contents of the basin.

In addition to or in lieu of controlling thermal treatment device 46based on a measured temperature profile, controller 42 may control therate of heating by thermal treatment device 46 based on informationreceived from volume measurement device 44 and temperature sensor 48.For example, when volume measurement device 44 is implemented as aweighing device, controller 42 can receive information concerning theweight of basin 14 and any contents therein (e.g., surgical fluid).Controller 42 can further receive information concerning the temperatureof any components in basin 14 from temperature sensor 48. Controller 42can control the rate of heating and hence the amount of thermal energydelivered by thermal treatment device 46 based on the receive weight andtemperature information.

In operation, thermal treatment device 46 can increase the temperatureof fluid in basin 14 from a starting temperature to a target temperaturemore rapidly when there is a comparatively smaller amount of fluid inthe basin then when there is a comparatively larger amount of fluid inthe basin. Since there may be a thermal equilibration lag between whenfluid in basin 14 reaches a target temperature and when temperaturesensor 48 measures that target temperature, thermal treatment device 46may have a tendency to overheat fluid in the basin. That is, fluid inbasin 14 may be heated to a temperature above a target or settemperature before controller 42 receives a signal from temperaturesensor 48 indicating that the target temperature has been reached andcan control thermal treatment device 46 to cease delivering heat to thefluid. This temperature overheating phenomena may be more pronounced ininstances in which there is a comparatively small amount of fluid placedin basin 14 and the fluid heats comparatively rapidly.

To help control the rate at which fluid in basin 14 is heated for moreaccurate heating, controller 42 may adjust the rate at which thermaltreatment device 46 delivers heat based on the amount of fluid in thebasin. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process thatsystem 10 may follow to control the amount of thermal energy deliveredby thermal treatment device 46 to basin 14 and any contents therein.

In the example of FIG. 11, controller 42 receives target temperatureinformation from a user via user interface 16 (250). As discussed above,the user may interact with user interface 16 using a variety ofdifferent communication media, such physical contact with the userinterface, audible commands, or noncontact commands detected by the userinterface. The target temperature information may specify a targettemperature to which fluid in basin 14 is to be heated.

Controller 42 also receives information concerning the amount of fluidin basin 14 from volume measurement device 44 (252). For example, whenvolume measurement device 44 is implemented as a weighing device,controller 42 may receive information concerning the weight of basin 14and any contents therein. If controller 42 determines that there is nofluid in basin 14 or an insufficient amount of fluid in the basin, thecontroller may not activate thermal treatment device 46 but may insteadcontrol a display of user interface 16 to provide instructions to theuser to add fluid to the basin. In either case, controller 42 mayanalyze the information concerning the amount of fluid in basin 14 anduse that information to control thermal treatment device 46.

With reference to information stored in memory, controller 42 maydetermine if the amount of fluid in basin 14 is comparatively small orif a larger amount of fluid is present in the basin and furtherdetermine a heating rate based on the amount of fluid (254). Forexample, controller 42 may compare weight measurement informationindicative of the amount of fluid in basin 14 to one or more thresholdweights stored in a memory associated with the controller. If controller42 determines that the weight of fluid in the basin is greater than thethreshold weight, the controller may control thermal treatment device 46to heat the basin and the fluid therein at a first rate of heating. Bycontrast, if controller 42 determines that the weight of fluid in thebasin is less than the threshold weight, the controller may controlthermal treatment device 46 to heat the basin and the fluid therein at asecond rate of heating less than the first rate of heating. More thermalenergy is delivered to basin 14 during the first rate of heating thanduring the second rate of heating.

The threshold or thresholds used to set the rate of heating delivered bythermal treatment device 46 may vary, e.g., depending on the amount ofthermal energy the device can supply in the size of basin 14. In someexamples, the threshold weight is a weight less than 5 kg, such as aweight less than 2 kg, or a wait less than 1000 g. For example, thethreshold may be 500 g or less. Additionally or alternatively, thethreshold may be established based on the maximum amount of fluid thatcan be added to basin 14. For example, the threshold may correspond toan amount of fluid in basin 14 that is less than 50% of the maximumamount of fluid that can be added to the basin, such as less than 30% ofthe maximum amount. For example, the threshold may be a valuecorresponding to an amount of fluid in basin 14 that ranges from 2% to30% of the maximum amount of fluid that can be added to the basin, suchas from 5% to 20% of the maximum amount. The lower end of these rangesmay correspond to an amount of fluid below which thermal treatmentdevice 46 will not activate, when system 10 is so configured. Inexamples where the maximum volume of basin 14 is less than 10 liters,such as 5 liters, the threshold may be a value within a range from 0.25liters to 1 liter. This may correspond to a weight value of 250 grams to1 kilogram where the fluid is assumed to have a density of 1 Kg perliter.

In some examples, the rate of heating delivered by thermal treatmentdevice 46 is controlled by varying the voltage or current delivered tothe thermal treatment device. In other examples, the rate of heatingdelivered by thermal treatment device 46 is controlled by varying theduty cycle, or operating frequency, of the thermal treatment device. Forexample, the first rate of heating may correspond to an operating dutycycle of the thermal treatment device greater than the operating dutycycle during the second rate of heating. As examples, the operating dutycycle of thermal treatment device 46 for the first rate of heating maybe a 100% duty cycle. By contrast, the operating duty cycle of thermaltreatment device 46 for the second rate of heating may be less, such asa duty cycle ranging from 25% to 75%. The operating duty cycle may beconsidered the percentage of time during a given period during whichthermal treatment device 46 is active and delivering thermal energy tobasin 14 as opposed to being cycled off and not delivering thermalenergy to the basin. Thermal treatment device 46 may operate at fullpower and cycle on and off periodically to vary the duty cycle.

With further reference to FIG. 11, controller 42 is configured tocontrol thermal treatment device 46 to heat basin 14 and fluid thereinat the rate of heating determined to be appropriate for the amount offluid present in the basin (256). Controller 42 can receive temperaturemeasurement information from temperature sensor 48 concerning a measuredtemperature of fluid in basin 14 (258). Controller 42 can continuedelivering heat to the fluid in basin 14 at the rate determined to beappropriate for the amount of fluid present in the basin until thetemperature of the fluid as measured via temperature sensor 48 hasreached the target temperature. Upon reaching the target temperature,controller 42 can control thermal treatment device 46 to ceasedelivering heat to the basin and fluid therein.

Controlling the amount of heat delivered to basin 14 based on the amountof fluid determined to be present in the basin can be useful to preventoverheating of the fluid. In some examples, controller 42 is configuredto control thermal treatment device 46 to modulate the rate of heatingapplied to the basin as the temperature measurement information fromtemperature sensor 48 indicates that the fluid in the basin isapproaching the target temperature. Controller 42 may modulate the rateof heating by decreasing the rate of heating (e.g., progressively, stepchange) supplied to basin 14, independent of whatever initial rate ofheating was delivered to the basin. For example, when controller 42determines that the fluid in basin 14 is within a certain degree rangefrom the target temperature, such as 5 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 degreesFahrenheit from the target temperature, the controller may reduce theamount of heat delivered to the basin as compared to the amount of heatdelivered prior to the fluid reaching the certain degree range. This canslow the rate of heating as the fluid approaches the target temperatureand help prevent overheating.

System 10 in FIG. 6 also includes volume measurement device 44. Volumemeasurement device 44 is configured to measure, either directly orindirectly, the volume of material (e.g., surgical fluid) present inbasin 14. Volume measurement device 44 can generate volume informationconcerning the amount of surgical fluid present in the basin andcommunicate the information to controller 42. This information can beused by controller 42 to monitor the amount of fluid added and removedfrom basin 14 during a procedure and, accordingly, determine the volumeof surgical consumed during the procedure. Controller 42 may receive asignal from volume measurement device 44 indicative of the volumemeasured by the sensor at periodic intervals or continuously. Thediscussion of controller 42 receiving measurement information fromvolume measurement device 44 at a particular time is not intended toindicate that the controller cannot receive measurement information atother times.

Volume measurement device 44 can be implemented using any device thatmeasures the amount of fluid in basin 14 from which volume can bedetermined. In different applications, volume measurement device 44 maybe implemented using a load cell that indirectly measures volume bymeasuring the mass of basin 14 and contents therein, a float that risesand falls based on the level of surgical fluid in the basin, an opticalor electrical resistance sensor that detects a volume level in thebasin, or yet other type of sensor. For example, basin 14 may beconfigured with a dispensing outlet from which fluid is discharged fromthe basin. The fluid may be discharged directly into a patient via atubing line or into a fluid container (e.g., graduate) that is then usedto convey the fluid to the patient. A flow meter can be provided thatmeasures the volume of fluid passing through the dispensing outlet. Asanother example, basin 14 may be configured with a flow meter thatmeasures fluid volume as it is added to the basin. The amount of fluidadded to the basin can be mathematically reduced by the amount of fluidremaining in the basin to determine the amount of fluid used.Independent of the configuration, volume measurement device 44 maygenerate an electrical signal, the magnitude of which is proportional tothe volume of material present in basin 14 and/or discharging from thebasin. This signal can contain volume information in that the volume ofmaterial present in basin 14 may be determined by controller 42 based onthe signal.

In applications where volume measurement device 44 is implemented as aweighing device, controller 42 may subtract the weight of any drapeplaced in basin 14 to determine the contents of the basin. For example,controller 42 may reduce measured weights by a tare weight of basin 14and/or drape placed therein, which can be measured at startup or storedin a memory associated with controller 42. As another example, theweight of the drape placed on basin 14 may be stored on a non-contacttag associated with the drape. Non-contact reader 50 may read the drapeweight from the tag, when the drape is placed on the basin, andcontroller 42 can subsequently use the drape weight to decrement themeasured weight.

Volume measurement device 44 can be positioned about basin 14 at alocation suitable to detect the volume of surgical fluid present inbasin 14. The specific location in which volume measurement device 44 ispositioned can vary depending on the type of device used to measure thevolume of fluid present in the basin. For example, in the case of afloat that rises and falls based on the volume of fluid present in basin14, the float can be positioned in basin 14 and connected to atransducer in housing 58 the detects and transmits the relative positionof the float. As another example, in the case of a load cell thatmeasures the weight of basin 14 and the contents thereof, the load cellmay be positioned under basin 14 (e.g., in contact with base 20) tomeasure the weight of the basin and its contents.

When volume measurement device 44 is implemented as a weighing device,the weighing device may include any type of weighing scale capable ofdetermining the weight or mass of an object. For example, the weighingdevice may be implemented using one or more load cells, strain gauges, aspring scale, an analytical scale, a hydraulic scale, a pneumatic scale,or any other device or apparatus capable of measuring the weight or massof an object. In some examples, the weighing device comprises one ormore load beams positioned under basin 14 to measure a weight of thebasin and its contents. For example, a multi-load beam weighing devicehaving two or more load cells could function as a bridge load cell. Sucha weighing device could obtain the weight of basin 14 and the contentstherein and provide analog strain signals to a circuit board thatconditions and converts these measurements into a single mass value.

While volume measurement device 44 can be positioned at a variety oflocations relative to basin 14, FIG. 12 illustrates an examplearrangement of components when volume measurement device 44 isimplemented as a weight measurement device. In particular, FIG. 12 is anexploded cross-sectional view of basin 14 taken along the A-Across-sectional line indicated on FIG. 1 showing an example arrangementof components. In the illustrated example, system 10 includes basin 14,weight measurement device 44, and thermal treatment device 46. Weightmeasurement device 44 is illustrated as being implemented with at leastone load cell which, in the cross-sectional view, is shown as to loadcells 45A, 45B. Thermal treatment device 46 is illustrated as athin-film heater wrapped at least partially about base 20 and sidewalls22 of basin 14. Housing 58 is shown as including at least one sidewall58A wrapping upwardly from a base 58B about the at least one sidewall 22of the basin.

In addition, system 10 includes a mounting plate 60 that defines a firstside 62 and a second side 64 opposite the first side. Mounting plate 60is attached to basin 14 with an air gap 66 formed between the mountingplate in the basin. For example, the air gap 66 may be defined between abottom surface of base 20 of basin 14 in the first side 62 of mountingplate 60. Weight measurement device 44 is positioned on the second side64 of mounting plate 60. Accordingly, in this configuration, mountingplate is interposed between basin 14 and weight measurement device 44with air gap 66 between the basin and the weight measurement device.

Configuring system 10 with an air gap 66 between basin 14 and weightmeasurement device 44 may be useful to help thermally isolate the weightmeasurement device from thermal treatment device 46 and/or the heatedcontents of basin 14. In different examples, air gap 66 may be entirelydevoid of material or may be filled with a thermally insulativematerial. In either case, separating basin 14 from weight measurementdevice 44 may help reduce or eliminate errant weight measurements causedby the weight measurement device being at a different operatingtemperature for which it is calibrated. This can help improve theaccuracy of weight measurements made using the device and controlsettings determined based on weight measurements, e.g., such as heatingrates.

In some examples, air gap 66 is sized to limit the extent to whichweight measurement device 44 increases in temperature above ambienttemperature, e.g., when thermal treatment device 46 is operating and/orbasin 14 contains heated contents. For example, air gap 66 may have asize effective to prevent weight measurement device 44 from reaching atemperature more than 5 degrees Celsius above ambient temperature whenany contents in basin are heated to the temperature ranging from 90degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 Celsius) to 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.9Celsius). In some examples, air gap 66 may be less than 5 cm, such asless than 2 cm. As one example, air gap 66 may range from 0.1 cm to 10cm.

Mounting plate 60 may be attached to basin 14 in a number of differentlocations. In one example, mounting plate 60 may extend up and befixedly attached under a lip formed where sidewalls 22 curve at the topof basin 14. As another example, mounting plate 60 may be fixedlyattached under base 20 of basin 14, as illustrated in FIG. 12. Whenmounting plate 60 is attached under base 20, system 10 may include oneor more spacers 68 located between the first surface 62 of the mountingplate in the bottom of base 20. The length of spacers 68 may dictate thesize of air gap 66. For example, the spacers may have a top and attachedto the bottom of base 20 and a bottom end attached to the top or firstsurface 62 of mounting plate 60.

To enable weight measurement device 44 to detect changes in the weightof the contents of basin 14, the basin may float or move relative to theweight measurement device. For example, basin 14 and mounting plate 60attached thereto through spacers 68 (when so configured) may beconfigured to move upwardly and downwardly relative to weightmeasurement device 44 as the amount of weight in the basin varies.Second surface 64 of mounting plate 60 can press against load cells 45A,45B with a varying degree of force depending on the amount of weight inthe basin.

To prevent a user from inadvertently pulling basin 14 out of housing orshell 58, the range of travel over which the basin (and mounting plate60 when attached) can travel may be restricted. Housing 58 may have aninternal protrusion, detent, or narrowing that basin 14 and/or mountingplate 60 contacts when it reaches an upper extent of travel. As anotherexample, one or more securing rods 70 may be attached to housing 58 andextend through mounting plate 60. Securing rods 70 may have a protrusionor widening at their top end above first surface 62 of mounting plate60. Accordingly, basin 14 and mounting plate 60 may translate alongsecuring rods 70 vertically upwardly until the top of the mounting platecontacts the widening of the securing rod. Basin 14 and mounting plate60 may further translate along securing rods 70 vertically downwardlyuntil the bottom of the mounting plate contacts a top surface of loadcells 45A, 45B. In this way, basin 14 can be free-floating within thehousing 58 over a restricted range of travel.

To allow basin 14 to move upwardly and downwardly over a range oftravel, a top surface of the basin may be movably connected to housing58 such that the top surface can move without coming out of the housing.In the illustrated configuration, sidewall 22 of basin 14 terminates ina lip 72 that extends generally horizontally and transitions from agenerally vertically oriented remaining portion of the sidewall. Housing58 includes a flange portion 74 extending over the terminal end of lip72. The housing flange 74 may be configured to flex upwardly anddownwardly to maintain conformance to lip 72 as basin 14 moves upwardlyand downwardly. In other configurations, lip 72 may be fixedly coupledto housing 58 or basin 14 may not even include a lip.

When weight measurement device 44 is implemented using one or more loadcells 45A, 45B, the load cells may be positioned at spaced apartlocations from each other under base 20 and/or mounting plate 60. As oneexample, system 10 may include four load cells arranged in a rectangularpattern under basin 14 to measure weight substantially uniformly acrossthe basin. The number and positioning of load cells may vary, e.g.,based on the size and shape of basin 14. In different examples, weightmeasurement device 44 has an accuracy that measures the weight of thecontents of basin 14 within 250 g of their actual weight, such as within100 g of their actual weight, within 50 g of their actual weight, within10 g of their actual weight, within 5 g of their actual weight, within 1g of their actual weight, within 0.5 g of their actual weight, or within0.1 g of their actual weight.

In operation, the volume in basin 14 as well as the weight of thecontents of the basin can rise and fall as fluid is added and removedfrom the basin as well as when medical hardware is added and removedfrom the basin. To allow controller 42 to distinguish when fluid isadded or removed from basin 14 as compared to when non-fluid componentsare added or removed, the controller may be informed of the type ofmaterial being added or removed from the basin. For example, controller42 may be informed of the type of material being added and/or removedfrom basin 14 via clinician interaction with one or more user interfacesof system 10.

In some examples, user interface 16 receives a user input by a clinicianto selectively indicate to controller 42 when a non-fluid component,such as a medical tool or hardware, is being added or removed frombasin. The user input may be a physically movable button (e.g., switch,slide, knob), a selectable computer icon, a portion of a touch screen,or type of user input as discussed herein. In operation, the clinicianmay interact with the user input (e.g., depress a button), therebyproviding a first indication to controller 42 that a non-fluid componentis to be added or removed from basin 14. After subsequently adding thenon-fluid component to basin 14 or removing the non-fluid component fromthe basin, the clinician may again interact with the user input (e.g.,depress the button), thereby providing a second indication to controller42 that the clinician has completed adding the non-fluid component tobasin 14 or removing the non-fluid component from the basin.Alternatively, controller 42 may automatically determine without inputfrom the user (e.g., without the user interacting with user interface16) that the clinician has completed adding the non-fluid component tobasin 14 or removing the non-fluid component from the basin after athreshold amount of time has passed since receiving the firstindication, such as at least 10 seconds, at least 30 seconds, or atleast one minute. In this alternative configuration, the clinician may,but need not, interact with the user input a second time after addingthe non-fluid component to basin 14 or removing the non-fluid componentfrom the basin.

Controller 42 can receive volume information from volume measurementdevice 44 concerning the volume of surgical fluid present in basin. Insome examples, the system has a user engagement feature (e.g., button)that a user can interact with to toggle between reporting output involume units and weight units. In the case where volume measurementdevice 44 is a weighing device, the volume information may be in theform of weight information. In either case, controller 42 can determinethe volume of surgical fluid present in basin 14 based on the volumeinformation received from volume measurement device 44. Controller 42may store the determined volume in memory 54. In response to receivingthe first indication via the user interface that the clinician intendsto add a non-fluid component to basin 14 or remove a non-fluid componentfrom the basin, controller 42 may receive volume information from volumemeasurement device 44 indicating a change in the volume of surgicalfluid present in basin 14. The volume change may be caused by theclinician adding the non-fluid component to basin 14 or removing thenon-fluid component from the basin, not actual changes in the amount offluid present in the basin. Accordingly, controller 42 may disregardchanges in the volume of surgical fluid determined to be present inbasin 14 between receiving the first indication and receiving the secondindication, which indicates that the clinician has completed adding orremoving the non-fluid component to/from the basin. Controller 42 maydisregard the changes in volume by referencing the volume of surgicalfluid stored in memory 54 and determined to be present in basin 14 priorto receiving the first indication and setting that stored volume as theactual volume present in the basin after the non-fluid component hasbeen added to basin 14 or removed from basin 14.

While system 10 and controller 42 can be configured to receive userinput indicating when a non-fluid component is added to or removed frombasin 14, the system may still accurately track the volume of fluidremoved from the basin without implementing this functionality. In theseapplications, the user may be instructed to start (e.g., before theaddition of fluid) with any non-fluid components that will be usedduring the procedure either in basin 14 or out of the basin. If thenon-fluid components are initially added to the basin, controller 42 maydetermine the weight of the non-fluid components (when configured with aweight measurement device) and tare the weight or otherwise decrementthe weight of the non-fluid components when subsequently determining thevolume of fluid removed from the basin. The user may be instructed thatnon-fluid components initially present in the basin need to be returnedto the basin to get an accurate measurement of the volume of fluidremoved from the basin (otherwise the system may attribute the missingweight of a non-fluid component as being removed fluid). Alternatively,the user may initially start without any non-fluid components in thebasin. The user may then be instructed that non-fluid components need tobe removed from the basin to get an accurate measurement of the volumeof fluid removed from the basin (otherwise the system may attribute anon-fluid component as being additional fluid that has actually beenremoved from the system). Instructing users that volume readings need tobe taken with non-fluid components either “in” or “out” of basin 14 toget an accurate reading may simplify the operation and user interactionwith system 10.

In addition to or in lieu of having a user input to indicate whenmedical hardware is being added to or removed from basin 14, system 10may include be configured to receive a user input from a user toindicate to controller 42 when fresh surgical fluid is to be added tobasin 14. The user input may be a physically movable button (e.g.,switch, slide, knob), a selectable computer icon, a portion of a touchscreen, or other user interface interaction as discussed herein.Additionally or alternatively, the user input may be foot actuatablepeddle 40. For example, system 10 may be configured with multiple userinterfaces, any of which can be used to indicate to controller 42 whenfresh surgical fluid is to be added to basin 14. System 10 may includeone user input that is part of user interface 16 that a clinician (e.g.,sterile field personnel) can interact with to indicate to controller 42when surgical fluid is to be added to basin 14. System 10 may alsoinclude another user input in the form of foot actuatable peddle 40 thata clinician (e.g., either sterile field personnel or non-sterile fieldpersonnel) can interact with to indicate to controller 42 when surgicalfluid is to be added to basin 14.

In operation, the clinician may interact with either user input thatprovides an indication when fresh surgical fluid is to be added to basin14 (e.g., by manipulating a user input on user interface 16 or actuatingfoot peddle 40). When the clinician initially interacts with one of theuser inputs/interfaces, controller 42 may receive a first indicationthat fresh surgical fluid is to be added to basin 14. After subsequentlyadding the surgical fluid to basin 14, the clinician may again interactwith either user input/interface (e.g., by manipulating a user input onuser interface 16 or actuating foot peddle 40) thereby providing asecond indication to controller 42 that the clinician has completedadding the surgical fluid to basin 14. Alternatively, controller 42 mayautomatically determine (e.g., without the user interacting with a userinput or interface) that the clinician has completed adding the freshsurgical fluid to basin 14 after a threshold amount of time has passedsince receiving the first indication, such as at least 10 seconds, atleast 30 seconds, or at least one minute.

In some examples, system 10 is configured to receive a signal fromvolume measurement device 44 upon being powered on, e.g., to determineif a user may have placed surgical fluid in basin 14 before powering theunit on. If controller 42 receives data indicating that a volume ofmaterial is present in basin 14 upon being powered on, the controllermay take various responsive actions. Controller 42 may control a displayof user interface 16 to issue a prompt asking the user if the detectedvolume is fluid that has been added to the basin. Additionally oralternatively, controller may automatically determine (e.g., without theuser interacting with a user input/interface) that the detected volumeis fresh fluid in the basin. For example controller 42 may control thedisplays to ask the user if the detected volume is surgical fluid thathas been added to the basin and, if the user does not respond after athreshold amount of time, controller may automatically designate themeasured volume as being fresh fluid and store the measured volume inmemory. The threshold amount of time may be those amounts of timediscussed above, such as at least 10 seconds, at least 30 seconds, or atleast one minute. In instances where volume measurement device 44 isimplemented as a weight measurement device, controller 42 may detect avolume of fluid potentially being present in basin 14 at start up bydetecting a weight in basin 14 above an expected tare weight (e.g., aweight of the basin and/or drape 35 expected to be draped over thebasin).

Controller 42 can receive volume information from volume measurementdevice 44 concerning the volume of surgical fluid present in basinbefore, during, and after addition of fresh surgical fluid to basin 14.Controller 42 can determine the volume of surgical fluid present inbasin 14 based on the volume information received from volumemeasurement device 44. Controller 42 may store the determined volume inmemory 54. In response to receiving the first indication that theclinician intends to add fresh surgical fluid to basin 14, controller 42may receive volume information from volume measurement device 44indicating an increase in the volume of surgical fluid present in basin14. The volume change may be caused by the clinician adding freshsurgical fluid to basin 14. After receiving the second indication thatthe clinician has completed adding surgical fluid to basin 14,controller 42 may receive updated volume information from volumemeasurement device 44 indicating the volume of surgical fluid present inbasin 14. The updated volume information includes the increase in volumeattributable to the clinician adding fresh surgical fluid to the basin.In this way, controller 42 can distinguish between when an increase inthe volume of fluid in basin 14 is attributable to the clinician addingfresh fluid to the basin and when an increase is associated with theclinician returning unused surgical fluid previously taken out of thebasin.

During operation, controller 42 may detect a significant increase involume that would be greater than normally expected by returning anon-fluid component to basin 14 and/or returning fluid taken out of thebasin back to the basin. For example, fresh surgical fluid is oftensupplied in containers that are 500 g or 1000 g. If a user were to add afresh container of fluid to basin 14 while neglecting to first provide auser input to the system indicating that fresh fluid was going to beadded, controller 42 may be programmed to automatically (e.g., withoutthe user interacting with a user input/interface) designate such largeweight and/or volume increases as being fresh fluid added to the basin.For example, controller 42 may automatically designate large increasesin volume and/or weight greater than a threshold as being fresh fluidadded rather than a non-fluid component or extracted fluid beingreturned to the basin. The threshold may be a volume greater than 400 mL(or 400 g), such as a volume greater than 450 mL (or 450 g), or a volumegreater than or equal to 500 mL (or 500 g). Other thresholds may beused. When so configured, controller 42 may control a displays to askthe user if the detected large volume is surgical fluid that has beenadded to the basin and, if the user does not respond after a thresholdamount of time, controller may automatically designate the large volumechange as being fresh fluid and store the volume increase in memory.

During a medical procedure, controller 42 can periodically orcontinuously receive volume information from volume measurement device44 indicating the current volume of surgical fluid present in basin 14.For example, controller 42 may receive initial volume measurementinformation from volume measurement device 44 at the start of a medicalprocedure, e.g., indicating the amount of surgical fluid initiallyplaced in basin 14. At one or more measurement times (e.g.,continuously) during the medical procedure, controller 42 can receiveupdated volume information from volume measurement device 44 indicatingthe current volume of surgical fluid present in basin 14 at the time ofmeasurement. Controller 42 can compare the volume of surgical fluidpresent in basin 14 at the measurement time to the total volume of freshsurgical fluid added to the basin (the initial volume of surgical fluidplaced in basin 14 and any fresh surgical fluid subsequently added tothe basin). The total volume of fresh surgical fluid added to basin 14can be monitored by controller 42 and stored in memory 54. Bydetermining a difference between the current volume of surgical fluid atthe measurement time and the total volume of fresh surgical fluid addedto the basin as of the measurement time, controller 42 can determine thevolume of surgical fluid used during the medical procedure as of themeasurement time.

In some examples, controller 42 controls a display associated with userinterface 16 and/or display 18 to display the amount of surgical fluidused during a procedure. In different examples, controller 42 maycontrol the display to display the weight and/or volume of surgicalfluid used during the medical procedure as of the measurement time.Controller 42 may continuously update the display, e.g., as fluid isremoved from basin 14 by a clinician, to provide real time informationto the clinician indicating the amount of surgical fluid used during theprocedure.

As mentioned above, controller 42 in the example of FIG. 6 iscommunicatively coupled to non-contact reader 50. Non-contact reader 50is configured to read information stored on a non-contact tag present ona drape placed over basin 14. While the non-contact tag can be placed inphysical contact with non-contact reader 50, the reader may be capableof reading information from the tag by placing the tag in closeproximity to the reader without physically contacting the reader. In oneexample, non-contact reader 50 is implemented as a near fieldcommunication (NFC) reader. In another example, non-contact reader 50 isa frequency identification (RFID) reader or an optical reader.

Independent of the specific configuration of non-contact reader 50, thereader can read identifying information stored on a machine-readable tagpresent on a drape placed over basin 14. The identifying information maybe in the form of a numeric code, manufacturers name or brand, or otherinformation identifying the origin and/or type of drape to which themachine-readable tag is attached. Controller 42 can control non-contractreader 50 to read the identifying information from the machine-readabletag present on a drape placed over basin 14. Controller 42 can comparethe identifying information to authenticating information stored inmemory 54. The authenticating information may provide correspondingnumeric codes or other information suitable for determining if the drapepaced on basin 14 is authorized for use with the basin. If controller 42determines that the identifying information read from themachine-readable tag on the drape matches the authenticating informationstored on memory, the controller can allow system 10 to proceed. Forexample, controller 42 may allow thermal treatment device 46 to adjustthe temperature of basin 14 and/or volume measurement device 44 tomeasure the volume of surgical fluid present in the basin.

By contrast, if controller 42 determines that the identifyinginformation read from the machine-readable tag on the drape does notmatch the authenticating information stored on memory, the controllermay prohibit operation of system 10. For example, controller 42 mayprohibit thermal treatment device 46 from adjusting the temperature ofbasin 14 and/or volume measurement device 44 from measuring the volumeof surgical fluid present in the basin. In some additional examples, ifnon-contact reader 50 does not identify a machine-readable tag, forexample indicating that a drape has not been placed on basin 14 or adrape without a machine-readable tag has been placed on the basin,controller 42 may similarly prohibit operation of system 10.

In some examples, controller 42 may start a timer and/or a start timemay be written to tag 38 (e.g., using a non-contact reader 50 with writefunctionality) upon detecting that the drape placed over basin 14 has anauthorized tag. After a threshold amount of time has passed based on thetimer and/or start time written on the tag, controller 42 may determinethat the tag and corresponding drape has expired. The threshold amountof time may range from 1 hour to 24 hours, such as from 4 hours to 18hours, or from 6 hours to 14 hours. Controller 42 may control userinterface 16 to provide a time warning before the tag and drape aregoing to expire (e.g., one hour, half hour, fifteen minutes beforeexpiration). When the tag and corresponding drape are determined to haveexpired, controller 42 may control thermal treatment device 46 to ceaseheating basin 14. Such a configuration may help ensure that the drapecovering basin 14 is periodically replaced with a fresh drape to promotesterility and help ensure the integrity of the drape.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example technique that may be used tomonitor the amount of surgical fluid removed from a thermal treatmentdevice during a medical procedure. The example technique of FIG. 7 isdescribed with respect to thermal treatment system 10 described withrespect to FIGS. 1-3 and 6, although the technique can be performed bysystems having other configurations as described herein. In the exampleof FIG. 7, a clinician engages a user input on system 10 to indicatethat the user intends to add fluid to basin 14 (100). The clinician mayengage the user input by interacting with user interface 16 or byactuating foot actuatable peddle 40. In response to engaging the userinput, controller 42 receives a first indication indicating that theuser intends to add the surgical fluid to the basin (102). Controller 42may control a display on system 10 providing instructions or promptstelling the user to add the surgical fluid to basin 14.

In the technique of FIG. 7, the clinician adds the surgical fluid tobasin 14 (104). Controller 42 receives volume information from volumemeasurement device 44 as the clinician adds the surgical fluid to thebasin indicating the increase in volume (106). When volume measurementdevice 44 is a weighing device, controller 42 may receive weightinformation concerning the weight of basin 14 and any contents therein.When the clinician has completed adding the surgical fluid to basin 14,the clinician again engages the user input on system 10 to indicate thatthe user has finished added surgical fluid to basin 14 (108). Theclinician may again engage the user input by interacting with userinterface 16 or by actuating foot actuatable peddle 40. In response toengaging the user input, controller 42 receives a second indicationindicating that the user has completed adding fluid to the basin (110).

The technique of FIG. 7 further involves controller 42 determining thevolume of surgical fluid added to basin 14 between when the clinicianengaged the user interface to indicate that fluid would be added to thebasin and when the clinician engaged the user interface to indicate thatfluid was done being added to the basin (112). For example, when volumemeasurement device 44 is a weighing device, controller 42 may determinethe difference in weight between basin 14 and any contents therein(e.g., medical tools with or without surgical fluid) before receivingthe first indication and the weight of the basin and contents therein,including surgical fluid, after receiving the second indication.Controller 42 may determine the volume of fluid added to basin 14 bymultiplying the weight change by a density of the surgical fluid storedin memory 54.

During operation of system 10, the clinician removes surgical fluid frombasin 14 in the technique of FIG. 7 (114). Controller 42 receives volumemeasurement information from volume measurement device 44 indicating achange in the volume of present in basin 14 as the clinician removesfluid (116). For example, when volume measurement device 44 generatesvolume information at a measurement time, controller 42 can receive thevolume measurement information and determine the volume of surgicalfluid in the basin at the measurement time. Where volume measurementdevice 44 is a weighing device, controller 42 can receive weightinformation indicative of the weight of basin 14 and the contentsthereof. Controller 42 can determine the change in the total volume offluid in basin 14, e.g., by determining a difference in weight andmultiplying the weight change by a density of the surgical fluid storedin memory 54. In some examples, controller 42 further controls a displayon system 10 to indicate the volume of fluid consumed during theprocedure.

In addition, in the technique of FIG. 7, the clinician engages a userinput on system 10 to indicate that the user intends to add medicalhardware (e.g., a medical tool) to basin 14 or remove medical hardwarefrom the basin (118). The clinician may engage the user input byinteracting with user interface 16. In response to engaging the userinput, controller 42 receives a first indication indicating that theuser intends to add the medical hardware to basin 14 or remove themedical hardware from the basin (120). The clinician subsequently addsthe medical hardware to the basin or removes the medical hardware fromthe basin (122).

When the clinician has completed adding the medical hardware to basin 14or removing the medical hardware from the basin, the clinician againengages the user input on user interface 16 to indicate that the userhas finished added or removing the medical hardware (124). In responseto engaging the user input, controller 42 receives a second indicationindicating that the user has completed adding medical hardware to basin14 or removing medical hardware from the basin (126). Thereafter,controller 42 can determine changes in the measured volume of surgicalfluid in basin 14 between when the clinician engaged the user interfaceto indicate that medical hardware would be added or removed from thebasin and when the clinician engaged the user interface to indicate thatthe hardware change was complete (128). For example, when volumemeasurement device 44 is a weighing device, controller 42 may determinethe difference in weight between basin 14 and the contents thereofbefore receiving the first indication and the weight of the basin andits contents after receiving the second indication. The change in weightmay be attributable to the addition or removal of medical hardware frombasin 14 instead of any addition or removal of medical fluid from thebasin.

In the technique of FIG. 7, controller 42 disregards changes in themeasured volume between when the clinician engaged the user interface toindicate that medical hardware would be added or removed from the basinand when the clinician engaged the user interface to indicate that thehardware change was complete (130). Controller 42 may disregard thechanges in volume by referencing the volume of surgical fluid determinedto be present in basin 14 prior to receiving the first indication (e.g.,and stored in memory 54) and setting the stored volume as the actualvolume present in the basin after the medical hardware has been added orremoved from basin 14. Accordingly, controller 42 can control thedisplay of system 10 to the volume of surgical fluid consumed during theprocedure and reported on the display does not change when addingmedical hardware to basin 14 or removing medical hardware from thebasin.

FIG. 8A is an example user interface 150 that can be used as userinterface 16 in system 10. User interface 150 includes a power button152 to turn system 10 on and off, a first user input 154, a second userinput 156, a temperature control 158, and a display 160. First userinput 154 and second user input 156 are both illustrated in the form ofdepressible buttons, although other user input configurations can beused as described herein. Temperature control 158 allows the clinicianto set the target temperature to which surgical fluid in basin 14 isheated, including incrementing and decrementing the target temperature.In addition, user interface 150 includes a temperature indication light155 that indicates when surgical fluid in basin 14 is at the targettemperature (e.g., by turning on/off or by changing color). Userinterface 150 also includes a service button 153 that allows a user totoggle display 160 to a service/options menu from which variousprogramming options and preferences can be selected.

First user input 154 is manipulable (e.g., depressible) by a clinicianto indicate that a non-fluid component, such as medical tools, are to beadded or removed from basin 14. Pressing first user input 154 a firsttime informs system 10 that a medical tool is to be added or removedfrom basin 14. Pressing first user input 154 a second time informssystem 10 that the clinician has completed adding the medical tool tobasin 14 or removing the medical tool from the basin (regardless ofwhether the clinician actually adds or removes a tool).

Second user input 156 is manipulable (e.g., depressible) by a clinicianto indicate that fresh surgical fluid is to be added to basin 14.Pressing second user input 156 a first time informs system 10 that thesurgical fluid is to be added to basin 14. Pressing second user input156 a second time informs system 10 that the clinician has completedadding the surgical fluid to basin 14 (regardless of whether theclinician actually adds the fluid). The clinician may engage footactuatable peddle 40 instead of second user input 156 to inform thesystem that surgical fluid is to be added to basin 14 and/or has beenadded to the basin.

Display 160 can display information entered into or generated by system10. For example, in FIG. 8A, display 160 displays the target temperature162 entered into system 10 via temperature control 158 as well as theactual temperature 164 of surgical fluid in basin 14 measured bytemperature sensor 48 (FIG. 6). Display 160 also displays the total(cumulative) volume of surgical fluid 166 added to basin 14 during theprocedure and the volume of surgical fluid used (removed) 168 from thesurgical basin during the procedure. Accordingly, the difference betweenthe total volume of surgical fluid 166 added to basin 14 and the volumeof surgical fluid used 168 is the volume of surgical fluid remaining inthe basin. In other configurations, display 160 can display the amountof surgical fluid added to basin 14 and/or removed from the basin indifferent formats, such as by weight, graphical chart, or the like.

FIG. 8B is an example display 170 that can be used as display 18 insystem 10. As shown, display 170 can be configured to display the sameinformation as display 160 on user interface 150. As discussed above,however, display 170 may be positioned on a different side of basin 14than user interface 150, allowing clinicians working on different sidesof the basin to see information entered into or generated by the system.

The techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented, at leastin part, in hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. Forexample, various aspects of the described techniques may be implementedwithin one or more processors, including one or more microprocessors,digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or any otherequivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry, as well as anycombinations of such components. The term “processor” may generallyrefer to any of the foregoing logic circuitry, alone or in combinationwith other logic circuitry, or any other equivalent circuitry. A controlunit comprising hardware may also perform one or more of the techniquesof this disclosure.

Such hardware, software, and firmware may be implemented within the samedevice or within separate devices to support the various operations andfunctions described in this disclosure. In addition, any of thedescribed units, modules or components may be implemented together orseparately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. Depiction ofdifferent features as modules or units is intended to highlightdifferent functional aspects and does not necessarily imply that suchmodules or units must be realized by separate hardware or softwarecomponents. Rather, functionality associated with one or more modules orunits may be performed by separate hardware or software components, orintegrated within common or separate hardware or software components.

The techniques described in this disclosure may also be embodied orencoded in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as acomputer-readable storage medium, containing instructions. Instructionsembedded or encoded in a computer-readable storage medium may cause aprogrammable processor, or other processor, to perform the method, e.g.,when the instructions are executed. Non-transitory computer readablestorage media may include volatile and/or non-volatile memory formsincluding, e.g., random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM),programmable read only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read onlymemory (EPROM), electronically erasable programmable read only memory(EEPROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, a floppy disk, acassette, magnetic media, optical media, or other computer readablemedia.

Various examples have been described. These and other examples arewithin the scope of the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for thermally treating surgicalfluid comprising: a basin configured to receive and hold a surgicalfluid; a user interface configured to receive an at least one indicationprovided by a user that at least one of the surgical fluid and anon-fluid component is to be added to or removed from the basin; athermal treatment device thermally coupled to the basin and configuredto adjust a temperature of the surgical fluid in the basin; a volumemeasurement device positioned to obtain volume information concerning avolume of surgical fluid in the basin; and a controller configured toreceive volume measurement information from the volume measurementdevice concerning the volume of surgical fluid in the basin during aprocedure, receive the at least one indication from the user interface,and determine the volume of surgical fluid removed from the basin duringthe procedure, wherein the controller is configured to determine thevolume of surgical fluid removed from the basin during the procedure byat least distinguishing a volume change in the basin attributable toaddition or removal of surgical fluid from the volume change in thebasin attributable to addition or removal of the non-fluid component. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receivevolume measurement information from the volume measurement deviceindicating an increase in the volume of surgical fluid in the basin anddetermine, without input from a user, that the increase in volume ofsurgical fluid is fresh surgical fluid added to the basin.
 3. The systemof claim 1, wherein: the controller is configured receive at least oneindication via the user interface that surgical fluid is to be added tothe basin during the procedure, and determine the volume of surgicalfluid removed from the basin during the procedure based on the receivedvolume measurement information and the received at least one indication.4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one indication is anindication that a user is going to add fresh surgical fluid to thebasin, and the controller is configured to determine, without input froma user, when the user is done adding the fresh surgical fluid to thebasin.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured todetermine the volume of surgical fluid used during the procedure by atleast: receiving a first indication via the user interface that the userintends to add the surgical fluid to the basin; receiving volumemeasurement information from the volume measurement device concerningthe volume of surgical fluid placed in the basin following the firstindication received via the user interface; receiving a secondindication, either upon expiration of a timer or via the user interface,indicating that the user is done adding the surgical fluid to the basin;determining the volume of surgical fluid added to the basin betweenreceiving the first indication and the second indication; receivingvolume measurement information from the volume measurement device at ameasurement time during the procedure and establishing therefrom thevolume of surgical fluid in the basin at the measurement time; anddetermining a difference between the volume of surgical fluid added tothe basin and the volume of surgical fluid at the measurement time. 6.The system of claim 5, wherein the user interface comprises at least oneof a button and a foot actuatable peddle, receiving the first indicationvia the user interface comprises the user pressing the button or footactuatable peddle a first time, and receiving the second indication viathe user interface comprises the user pressing the button or footactuatable peddle a second time.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein theuser interface comprises a first user input, and further comprising asecond user input manipulable by the user to selectively add a non-fluidcomponent to the basin or to remove the non-fluid component from thebasin.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to receive at least one indication entered via the seconduser input that the non-fluid component is to be added or removed fromthe basin during the procedure and determine the volume of surgicalfluid used during the procedure based on the received volume measurementinformation and the received at least one indication via the second userinput.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured todetermine the volume of surgical fluid used during the procedure by atleast: receiving volume measurement information from the volumemeasurement device concerning the volume of surgical fluid in the basin;receiving a first indication via the second user input that the userintends to add or remove the non-fluid component to the basin; receivinga second indication via the second user input that the user is doneadding or removing the non-fluid component to the basin; subsequent toreceiving the second indication, receiving volume measurementinformation from the volume measurement device concerning the volume ofsurgical fluid in the basin after adding or removing the non-fluidcomponent; and disregarding changes in the volume of surgical fluidmeasured by the volume measurement device between receiving the firstindication and receiving the second indication.
 10. The system of claim1, wherein the volume measurement device comprises one of a flow meter,a float having a position that changes based on the volume of surgicalfluid in the basin, and a weighing device configured to measure a weightof the basin and any contents therein.
 11. The system of claim 1,wherein the thermal treatment device comprises a film heater wrappedabout the basin.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interfaceis configured to receive a user indication to adjust a targettemperature for the surgical fluid in the basin and a temperature sensorconfigured to measure the temperature of the basin and any surgicalfluid therein.
 13. The system of claim 1, further comprising anon-contact reader configured to read information contained on amachine-readable tag of a surgical drape.
 14. The system of claim 13,wherein the controller is configured to: compare identifying informationread from the machine-readable tag to authenticating information storedin memory; and if the identifying information does not match theauthenticating information, prohibit operation of the thermal treatmentdevice.
 15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a base, whereinthe basin is supported by and vertically elevated above the base, and aheight adjustment mechanism operable to adjust a height of the basinrelative to the base.
 16. The system of claim 1, further comprising afirst display mounted on one side of the basin and a second displaymounted on an opposite side of the basin.
 17. A method for determining atotal volume of material removed from a basin using a device comprisinga display for displaying a volume of material added to or removed fromthe basin and a controller controlling the display comprising: engaginga user interface on the device for thermally treating material thatincludes a volume measurement device, thereby informing the device thatmaterial is to be added to the device; adding the material to the basinof the device; engaging the user interface of the device, therebyinforming the device that the material has been added to the device;removing material from the basin; and displaying via the display of adevice a volume of material removed from a basin, wherein displaying thevolume of material removed from the basin comprises the controller:determining a total volume of material added to the basin based onvolume measurement information provided by the volume measurementdevice, including any initial volume of material added to the basin andmaterial added between being informed that the material is to be addedto the basin and being informed that the material has been added to thedevice; and determining a difference between the total volume ofmaterial added to the basin and a volume of material measured in thebasin by the volume measurement device following removal of materialfrom the basin.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising: engagingthe user interface of the device, thereby informing the device that anon-fluid component is to be added to the basin or removed from thebasin; adding the non-fluid component to the basin or removing thenon-fluid component from the basin; and engaging the user interface ofthe device, thereby informing the device that the non-fluid componenthas been added to the basin or removed from the basin.
 19. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising adjusting the temperature of the materialin the basin.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising engaging atemperature control on the device, thereby adjusting a targettemperature to which the material is adjusted.
 21. The method of claim17, further comprising inserting a drape into the basin.
 22. The methodof claim 21, wherein inserting the drape comprises positioning amachine-readable tag carried by the drape over a non-contact reader ofthe device.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the machine-readable tagcomprises one of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and a nearfield communication (NFC) tag.
 24. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising activating a height adjustment mechanism of the device andthereby adjusting a height of the basin.
 25. A system for heatingsurgical fluid comprising: a base mounted on wheels; a basin supportedby and vertically elevated above the base, the basin being configured toreceive and hold a surgical fluid; a heater thermally coupled to thebasin and configured to increase a temperature of the surgical fluid inthe basin; a weight measurement device positioned to obtain weightinformation concerning a weight of the basin and any contents therein; auser interface configured to receive a user an at least one indicationprovided by a user that surgical fluid is to be added to the basin; anda controller configured to receive weight measurement information fromthe weight measurement device concerning the weight of surgical fluid inthe basin during the course of a procedure, receive at least oneindication via the user interface that surgical fluid is to be added tothe basin during the procedure, and determine the volume of surgicalfluid removed from the basin based on the received weight measurementinformation and the received at least one indication, wherein thecontroller is configured to determine the volume of surgical fluidremoved from the basin during the procedure by at least distinguishing aweight change in the basin corresponding to the at least one indicationindicating addition of surgical fluid from the weight change in thebasin attributable to addition or removal of a non-fluid component. 26.The system of claim 25, wherein the controller is configured todetermine the volume of surgical fluid used during the procedure by atleast: receiving a first indication via the user interface that the userintends to add the surgical fluid to the basin; receiving weightmeasurement information from the weight measurement device concerningthe weight of surgical fluid placed in the basin following the firstindication received via the user interface; receiving a secondindication, either upon expiration of a timer or via the user interface,indicating that the user is done adding the surgical fluid to the basin;determining the weight of surgical fluid added to the surgical basinbetween receiving the first indication and the second indication;receiving weight measurement information from the weight measurementdevice at a measurement time during the procedure and establishingtherefrom the weight of surgical fluid in the basin at the measurementtime; determining a difference between the weight of surgical fluidadded to the basin and the weight of surgical fluid at the measurementtime; and determining the volume of surgical fluid removed based on thedetermined weight difference and a density of the surgical fluid. 27.The system of claim 25, wherein the controller is configured todetermine the volume of surgical fluid used during the procedure by atleast: receiving weight measurement information from the weightmeasurement device concerning the weight of basin and any contentstherein; receiving a first indication via the user interface that theuser intends to add a medical tool to the basin or remove the medicaltool from the basin; receiving a second indication via the userinterface that the user is done adding the medical tool to the basin orremoving the medical tool from the basin; subsequent to receiving thesecond indication, receiving weight measurement information from theweight measurement device concerning the weight of basin and anycontents therein; and adjusting the weight measurement informationreceived after receiving the second indication to negate weight changescaused by adding the medical tool to the basin or removing the medicaltool from the basin.
 28. The system of claim 25, wherein the heatercomprises a film heater positioned in thermal communication with thebasin.
 29. The system of claim 25, further comprising a non-contactreader configured to read information contained on a machine-readabletag of a surgical drape.
 30. The system of claim 25, wherein the userinterface comprises a first display mounted on one side of the basin anda second display mounted on an opposite side of the basin.